


Prologue To The Past

by cazmalfoy



Series: Assassin Ianto [6]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-29 10:23:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 63,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/cazmalfoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alien artefact causes unexpected complications for Team Torchwood, but what at first seems a happy accident becomes a life or death struggle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was co-written by teachwriteslash. This story is set during the 22nd Century.

Chapter 1

It looked harmless enough. At least, that was what both Jack and Ianto initially thought. 

“Where are you going?” Jack demanded, coming to a stop as Ianto moved to the left.

The assassin stopped mid step and turned to face Jack with an incredulous look on his face. “According to the Rift readings, this thing – whatever it is – is in the middle of the building,” he said slowly as though he were speaking to a small child, not an immortal who was actually older than he was. “If it’s an actual alien, and you go right while I go left, there will be no other exits; we’ll have it surrounded this way.”

Jack rolled his eyes and pulled his Webley out, knowing that Ianto was right. “We need more team members,” he muttered, checking his weapon. “We can’t cover everything on our own.” 

Ianto sighed. “I know,” he murmured. “But I don’t want to risk anyone else’s lives. At least we have nothing to lose.”

Jack nodded. “I suppose,” he agreed reluctantly. “You know, at one time you would have told me off for using myself as cannon fodder,” he pointed out.

Ianto took a step closer to Jack and pressed a quick kiss against the Captain’s lips. “That was before I became immortal as well,” he reminded him. “And it’s hardly cannon fodder if we’re protecting our team.”

Jack sighed and took a step back, checking his gun once more before looking back at Ianto. “Let’s get this over with,” he breathed, moving towards the door on the right, while Ianto headed for the one on the left.

Ianto knew the immortal Captain was right. They needed to contact their granddaughter, Cali; the young Time Lord was travelling all over the world to recruit and train new Torchwood teams. She had even helped them chose a new Torchwood Cardiff team almost six years previously; but they had only managed to succeed in keeping three of the agents, beside themselves. They either grew old and retired – not many – or fell victim to one kind of alien, or another. 

Only two of the present team were field agents; the third was not field certified and never would be – Jack and Ianto were never going to let that happen. 

Both immortals had been meaning to contact Cali and authorise her to recruit more team members for Cardiff, but one thing had led to another, and neither of them had been able to find the time.

Both of them paused outside their respective doors and counted to three before pushing them open and entering the room inside.

~

When they returned to the Hub, Jack took the containment box that held the artefact they had found and headed to the relative safety of his office. 

Ianto moved to check on the remainder of their team. Tim, their medic, was dissecting something vile. Ianto decided not to ask what it was, or had been; the doctor might actually tell him if he did, and he didn’t want to be forced to shoot him. Over the years Tim had been working for Torchwood, Ianto had discovered that he actually liked the man, as long as he ignored Tim’s brief affair with Cali before their granddaughter had moved to the States; which Jack and Ianto were firmly in denial about.

Petra, their technician, was lying on the floor under her desk with only her leather clad legs and torso showing; no doubt she was re-wiring something. She was almost as technical minded as Tosh and hated when her computer wasn’t working perfectly. For a brief moment, Ianto considered offering to help her, but decided the view he would have of her body was way too enticing. 

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, admonishing himself; he was becoming more like Will every day. He was starting to get a little scared; the world could not handle two Jack Harknesses. 

As he made his way to make two cups of coffee, Ianto realised one team member - their support person, Kara - was missing. “Tim,” he shouted across the Hub. “Where’s Kara?”

“Archives,” responded the medic distractedly. “Jack gave her a description of that thing you found, and she was looking it up.”

“She touches anything and I’m Retconning her,” Ianto swore, still trying to remember where he’d seen the device before. “I’m going to kill you, Will. You know the archives are out of bounds,” he muttered darkly, spooning sugar into Jack’s drink.

Still mumbling under his breath about children not being allowed in his archives, Ianto finished making the coffee, before following his partner into the office. Maybe if he could get another look at the device the markings would tell him where it came from, which might then jog his memory about why it looked familiar. 

The Captain was seated and was turning the device over in his hands when Ianto entered the room. Ianto handed Jack his drink before setting his own on the desk and studying the item closely. “I still say I’ve seen that somewhere before,” he sighed in annoyance.

“You’ve been saying that since we found it,” Jack murmured. “I sent Kara down to do some research,” he added. “She just called up; she hasn’t found anything. The scans say it’s harmless, so I thought I’d try to get some readings before handing it over to Petra to dismantle.”

“It’s almost six,” Ianto reminded him. “The Rift predictor is quiet. Let’s send them all home and we can call it a night?” he suggested with a hopeful look. “Petra can work on it in the morning.”

“Slacking, Jones?” Jack eyed him suspiciously.

“Trying to remember what our bed feels like,” Ianto corrected with a sigh.

“And what you feel like in it,” Jack responded with a leer, running his hand up Ianto’s thigh. With such a small staff, they’d had very little time together lately; the temporary celibacy had taken its toll on the lovers, and Jack knew he was ready to do it anywhere if he had to. 

Getting to his feet, Jack leant up and moved to kiss his partner, placing his hand on the small device to balance himself. He felt himself slipping as part of it gave way under the pressure. Before Jack could react, or stop himself from leaning on it further, two circles of light moved outwards at a speed faster than anything Jack had ever seen. 

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The light fields hit the immortals in the chest and flung both of them back. Jack screamed as his arm hit the desk and immediately fractured, before he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Ianto flew over Jack’s chair, landing painfully on his back; the fallen chair hit him in the stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

“Oh fuck,” Ianto groaned, trying to regain his breath. 

As the assassin sat up, everything clicked into place; he knew what the device was and when he’d seen it used before. The results had been disastrous. 

“Will?” He moved quickly to his partner and helped him up. He tried his hardest to not jostle his arm, but the Captain still cried out in pain. Ianto settled him in the desk chair. “Stay there until that arm heals,” he ordered, the tone of his voice not leaving room for argument. “I mean it, Will,” he added when it looked like Jack was about to argue. “Don’t move. If it’s only a fracture, it will heal shortly. I know what that thing was. I’ll be right back. I’m putting us in lockdown, but I need to get the team out of here first.”

“Ianto, what’s going on?” Jack demanded, trying to use his ‘Captain’ voice through gritted teeth.

“There’s no time to explain,” Ianto called over his shoulder, racing into the main part of the Hub. As he moved, he took his stopwatch from his pocket and depressed the button on top to start it. He guessed they had fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, before both immortals started to feel the complete effects of the device. 

“Tim, Petra, Kara, get out of the Hub now!” he ordered. “I’m locking us down in five minutes.”

“What’s going on?” Kara, a petite Englishwoman with wide blue eyes and chestnut brown hair, demanded. 

Petra, a shapely blonde who had more sense than either of the others, didn’t even question Ianto’s orders. Instead, she grabbed Kara and steered her towards the cog door. “Leave first. Questions later. We’ll get to the SUV and get you on the Vid Comm,” she called over her shoulder, her long hair swinging behind her.

“Good call,” Ianto shouted after them as they left. “Tim! Leave immediately. I’m putting us in bio lockdown in three minutes. Get out now!”

“If it’s a biological exposure, you and Jack will need treatment,” Tim argued.

“It’s not contagious,” Ianto assured him honestly. “Get out and get to the SUV. I’ll explain when you’re out of here.”

“How do we know we haven’t already been exposed to whatever it is?” Tim continued to argue.

Ianto reached for his gun and levelled it at the doctor, although he didn’t remove the safety. “You weren’t. The range of the initial trigger isn’t that far. This is a direct order. Either leave, or I will shoot you someplace painful and have Petra come drag you out regardless.”

Knowing that Ianto meant what he said, Tim scampered for the door just as the assassin entered the final codes that sealed the Hub. 

The lockdown had shut down all the external air vents and sealed the lower cells off from the main level. Both areas would function on recycled air until the danger had passed. They hadn’t been able to do anything about Myfanwy, but they had a sedative gun if they needed it. Although, Ianto doubted she would cause problems; he honestly thought she was getting mellow with old age.

“What the hell is going on, Ianto?” Jack demanded as he slowly and gingerly made his way down the steps, still cradling his arm against his chest.

“I’ve put us in a level five bio-lockdown,” Ianto told him. “The team’s headed to the SUV. Petra will key up the Vid Comm once they’re secure and I’ll explain. How’s your arm?”

“Hurts like hell, but it’s healing,” Jack replied, moving closer. “I think it’s just fractured. It doesn’t feel broken.” He looked at Ianto with worry clearly written over his face. “How bad is this going to get?” he asked. 

He knew both he and Ianto would survive anything, but he also knew there were some vicious contagions in the Universe that could do some damage to them, many of which would be extremely painful. He didn’t want to watch his partner endure that, or for Ianto to be forced to watch him.

“It’s complicated,” Ianto winced. He crossed the Hub and pulled out one of Tim’s first aid kits, withdrawing the medic’s painkillers. “Take these,” he added, popping two pills from the packaging and handing them to Jack. 

“It’s not deadly in and of itself, but the effects…” he trailed off, his eyes flickering to the monitor as the video screen sprung to life. “That has to be Petra. There’s no point in me explaining myself twice,” he added.

“Ianto,” the tech said, her voice crackling over the link. “What the hell is going on? My gauges are registering a thirty-six hour, level five, biological lock-down. You’ve sealed off the cells; so whatever this is doesn’t threaten just humans. Are we looking at something that could take out the city? The planet? Do we need containment help? Start talking,” she ordered rapidly. 

Ianto allowed himself a brief smile of pride. Petra was the most brilliant tech they’d had since they’d lost Tosh over a century before. A native of the Ukraine, she was completely no nonsense with a military background, which was just one of the few reasons why Ianto adored her. 

“We don’t have a biological contamination, per se.” He glanced at Jack, who was listening as intently as the rest of the team. “Jack, here, accidentally managed to activate that tech we found earlier.” 

“You said you’d seen it before,” Jack pointed out. “And I don’t think you meant with Torchwood, so that means it’s likely something military.”

Ianto nodded his head. “It was before Torchwood,” he confirmed, “and it is a military device. It sends a modulated signal that stimulates the pleasure centres in the brain, and increases the production of endorphins, serotonin, and all the chemicals associated with sexual arousal.”

~

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“It’s an electronic aphrodisiac?” Jack laughed with a grin. “That’s kinky, but not dangerous. Hardly worthy of a Hub lock-down.”

“Actually it’s very dangerous,” Ianto argued, glaring at Jack a little. “It removes all inhibitions and triggers the rampant production of pheromones. They become airborne and induce similar responses in other people. It’s designed to make transferring the effect beyond those initially infected quicker and easier than using a larger device.” 

“The problem spreads exponentially, until it burns itself out about twenty-four hours after the first exposure. You add the potency of Fifty-First Century pheromones in the Twenty-Second Century, and we’re looking at a citywide threat. We need to contain this as much as possible. I’ve locked us down for thirty-six hours to allow the effects to pass, before we can filter the air in here to make sure it’s safe for you to come back.” 

“I still don’t get what the problem is,” Kara said, sounding perplexed. “So Cardiff gets a bit happy, and maybe we have a bit of a baby boom in nine months. Is that such a big deal? I read in a magazine somewhere that people need to have more sex, anyway.”

“They might,” Ianto said between gritted teeth, trying to remain calm. Kara tried his patience worse than anyone had since Gwen. “But, removing their inhibitions on this scale would lead to a basic breakdown of social services, rioting, and complete anarchy. We’d be facing hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths from violence or lack of emergency services, because people were too busy having sex.”

“What were the effects last time you saw it?” Jack asked, looking over at Ianto and swallowing thickly when his brain told him to run his tongue down the side of Ianto’s neck and taste his skin.

“The last time I saw it was when I was still with the Time Agency - after you’d left. I saw it used in less developed systems, when small bands of raiders wanted to take towns or settlements with minimal resistance.” Ianto took a deep breath; he hated having to recall his memories of the Time Agency. “The devices have timers built into them. The raiders would deploy half a dozen of them and, within an hour, the population would be so fixated on each other that the raiders could move in, take what they wanted, and leave before the effect wore off. No one would be any wiser until it was too late.”

“How did the raiders avoid being infected?” Tim asked, not looking up from where he was rapidly entering information into his data pad.

“They wore dampers to prevent sexual arousal,” Ianto responded, glancing at his stopwatch and grimacing. “Look, we have five - maybe ten - minutes before we’re fully affected. I’ve used my authority code to lock the Hub down, so only Petra can override it – she’s got seniority and knows my access code.” 

Jack glared at him for breaking protocol by sharing his passwords, but Ianto ignored him. The assassin was afraid that if he looked at Jack again, he would jump him – Vid Comm or not. 

“Under no circumstances is anyone to enter the Hub for at least thirty-six hours,” Ianto continued. “The residents of the cells will be fine. If Myfanwy is bothered, we’ll sedate her. The Rift will still need monitoring; there’s enough of equipment in the SUV for you to be able to do that. If you need it, there’s plenty more tech back at our house in one of the spare rooms.” 

“Petra, you have a key and the alarm code. You know where the spare weapons are there as well. If you need any help, call UNIT; you know who to contact. We’re going to be completely incapacitated.”

“Maybe we can use a suppression on you both?” Tim suggested, worry lacing his voice. “Or sedate you until it passes? I can tell you where everything is. I don’t like the idea of you being forced to have… Well, it’s not like you don’t do it, anyway… but… aw hell,” he finished, shaking his head and blushing.

Ianto smiled at the medic. “I understand what you’re saying and I appreciate the concern, but suppressors and sedatives won’t work. It’s too late; the effects are already starting. I don’t know about Jack, but I can already feel them.” 

He chanced a glance at Jack, who nodded, before turning his gaze back to the computer in front of them. “If we try to stop it or suppress it, it’ll slowly drive us both insane. We have to let this run its course, otherwise it won’t burn out and we’ll still be a threat to the rest of the city in the morning, as well as to you. I promise you we’ll be okay, but I’m going to kill the CCTV and Comms. I think you can appreciate we’d like a little privacy.”

“Do what you need to, Ianto,” Petra said, meeting his eyes and assuring him that she would do what needed to be done to protect the team.

“If you need UNIT, call them,” Jack reminded the slender woman simply. “Take no risks; none at all. We want you all in one piece when we talk to you in thirty-six hours.”

Ianto was feeling overly hot and, looking at Jack, he saw that there was sweat on the Captain’s skin as well – and he wanted nothing more than to lick it from him, CCTV or not. “We need to go,” he told the team, forcing himself to focus. “We’ll contact you when it’s safe.” 

He killed the link and turned off the Comm and CCTV before any of them could argue with him further and turned to Jack. “It’s going to get intense here, Will. I’ve seen what it does.” He grinned cheekily, his blue eyes twinkling. “Then again, we have been wanting some time alone,” he pointed out.

Jack reached for his hand; he could already feel the desire coursing through his veins and needed to touch Ianto – even if it was just holding his hand. “You know what Tim said? Forget it; this isn’t us being forced.” He reached up and trailed his free hand along Ianto’s cheek. “Let’s just call it added incentive,” he added with a leer.

“Hell, yeah,” Ianto growled, pulling Jack into a deep kiss and finally giving up the fight against the urges that were starting to overpower him.

~

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ianto would never be certain how they shed their clothes. When everything returned to normal, he did discover that his waistcoat and Jack’s shirt had not survived the process, however. They never did locate one of Jack’s socks or Ianto’s boxers. 

He found himself pressing Jack up against one of the workstations, grinding their naked bodies together as they kissed. Their hands groped, teased, and pinched in a struggle for dominance that Ianto won – at least for round one. He had no doubt there would be others in the next twenty-four hours. 

“You know what I’ve always wanted to do?” he growled against the flesh of Jack’s neck, his hot breath making the Captain shiver.

“Unless it involves shagging, now is so not the time for talking about it,” Jack snarled, cupping Ianto’s arse and pulling him closer. “I want you in me now,” he stated bluntly.

“Oh, that’s the plan,” Ianto growled. “All these years, I’ve had this fantasy of taking you against the water tower – your wet skin against mine. You pinned there, helpless, while I fuck you.” 

“What are you waiting for? Do it!” Jack cried, pushing Ianto off him and urging him towards the centre of the Hub.

Wait,” Ianto ordered, reaching out and grasping Jack’s wrist, pulling him close; they were unable to bear lack of contact. He groped in the drawer of the computer station he used and found lube. They kept it stashed all around, mainly to tease the team with; they actually rarely did anything in the Hub. “We’ll need this.”

Kissing and groping, they stumbled towards the Rift pool. They flinched as the cold water hit their heated skin, but the tingle of Rift energy chased away any chill and only served to inflame them further. 

Ianto turned Jack around and braced his hands against the water tower, before using a knee to spread his thighs. He kissed and licked his way down his back, loving the way the water from the tower sluiced over his skin. 

Flicking the lid on the lube off, Ianto dabbled some on his fingers. He slicked his cock first, and then added more to his fingers before tossing it aside. Using his clean hand to steady Jack’s hip, he snarled, “Don’t move. At all. Do not even flinch until you’re ready for me.” 

He slid a single finger inside his partner, loving the way he immediately relaxed around it, even as the rest of his muscles tensed in a supreme effort to remain still. 

Wrapping his arm around Jack’s waist, he pressed his lips to his partner’s neck and pushed his wet chest against the Captain’s smooth back. As his lips and teeth left a trail of love bites on Jack’s skin, he worked another finger into him. Moving the digits in and out, he prepared Jack thoroughly.

“Ianto,” Jack groaned. “Need your cock. Now.” 

“Look at me,” Ianto gasped, removing his fingers from Jack’s body and turning him to face him. He backed him up against the water tower and lifted one of his legs to hook around his own waist, giving him access to Jack’s body. “Don’t take your eyes off of me, Will. This is about us. It has nothing to do with that thing up in your office. It’s all us.”

“Only us,” Jack panted, using his leg to pull Ianto in closer. “Need to feel you in me. Now.”

Lifting Jack slightly and pinning him to the tower using the pressure of his body, Ianto entered him. There was nothing gentle or slow about the coupling. The need was too great. Using the leverage of his hips, he held Jack up as he raised his other leg so both were wrapped around his waist. He locked his gaze with his lover’s and cupped his arse as he pounded into him.

“Yes. Yes,” Jack chanted, gripping Ianto’s shoulders so hard he was sure he was leaving bruises. He worked himself up and down on Ianto’s shaft, meeting his partner’s upward thrusts with his own downward motion. 

His own neglected cock was trapped between their bodies, but he didn’t care that it wasn’t being touched as Ianto hit his prostate again and again. All he cared about was being filled and fucked. It felt so good.

“Will,” Ianto gasped in warning as he felt his balls draw up and his orgasm curl deep in his belly. “So close.”

“Do it!” Jack screamed, clenching around him and forcing himself down harder. 

The waves of pleasure mixed with pain as Ianto thrust up twice more than came, flooding his partner’s body with his essence. Jack continued to flex his internal muscles, milking the rest of Ianto’s release from him.

Sagging against Jack, Ianto rested his head in the crook of his neck as he helped him lower his legs and held him up as the circulation returned. Slipping from his body, he moved his hand to wrap it around the Captain’s shaft, but Jack grasped his wrist and stopped him. 

Ianto looked at him in confusion. “You didn’t come. Let me make you come.”

“No,” the older immortal said, kissing him deeply before pulling back. “Gonna return the favour. Sofa.” 

Grabbing the lube from where Ianto had tossed it, Jack dragged him across the Hub, loving the way his body sang with the delicious pain of rough sex as he moved. He urged Ianto forward so that his arms rested on the back of the sofa and his head hung between his shoulders. His legs were slightly spread; giving Jack unfettered access to his arse. He could feel Ianto’s come inside of him even as he slicked his own fingers and worked one inside his partner’s body, which was already open and receptive thanks to their session against the water tower.

It didn’t take long to prepare Ianto for him, but Jack was still feeling rather submissive. Pressing himself against Ianto’s back, he let his partner feel his aching erection and whispered, “Ride me. Fuck yourself on my cock.”

Jack’s words and his hot breath sent Ianto into a frenzy. Spinning around, he forced Jack down on his back on the sofa and straddled his hips. He bent at the waist and kissed him before raising himself up and plunging down on his shaft with a cry that echoed through the Hub. 

Without giving either of them time to adjust, he pushed up and thrust down in a punishing rhythm that had Jack bucking and writhing beneath him. Grasping his renewed arousal, Ianto began to pump himself furiously. With a shout, he came a second time, coating his hand and Jack’s torso with semen. 

The vision of Ianto coming on him after working himself to orgasm using his body, and the sensation of his arse contracting around his cock, was too much for Jack. He bucked up violently and spilt into his partner as Ianto collapsed onto his chest in a sated, sweaty heap.

 

~

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When he woke the following morning, Ianto was uncertain where they were. He sensed and smelt Jack beside him, but they weren’t in their bedroom. Gradually, the memory of the night before came back to him. He recalled the alien device and the marathon sex session. 

After the water tower and the sofa, he’d taken Jack over his desk and in the hot house. Jack had reciprocated in the boardroom – sitting in one of the chairs, then again across the table – before Ianto had taken over again in the shower. Finally, they’d made their way to what had been their bedroom when they’d lived in the Hub during Rory’s early childhood. Collapsing on the bed, they’d managed mutual blowjobs before either passing out or falling asleep.

Sticky and sore, Ianto groaned as he moved. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was just after ten in the morning. They’d finally given in to exhaustion about three, so they’d slept through seven hours of the effects. 

His head was still muddy, and he could already feel the need coursing through his blood again. By his estimate, they had about another seven hours before the effects abated fully, then twelve to let the Hub air recycle before it was safe to let the team back in.

Next to him, Jack groaned and rolled towards him. He opened his eyes and smiled lazily. “I can’t remember the last time we had a night like that,” he whispered, trailing a hand over Ianto’s chest and teasing the coating of hair.

“Never,” Ianto muttered. “Because I’m pretty sure it should be a once in a lifetime experience – even for immortals.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining last night,” Jack said, moving just a bit so that Ianto was pinned beneath him. 

“Wasn’t complaining now,” Ianto replied, moving against him in an explicit invitation. “I just don’t think we need to test whether we can shag each other to death.”

“True,” Jack responded, before pressing his lips to the assassin’s in a commanding kiss. While he had been a more than willing bottom the previous night, he now found he wanted to possess Ianto completely. “How much longer?” he asked, his meaning clear.

Ianto made himself focus. “About seven hours, then the effects will dissipate. We can air out the Hub for twelve more to get rid of the pheromones before we end the lock down. Once the chemicals in our brains stabilise, all we’re going to want to do is sleep. We’ll start the decontamination, then crash.”

“So we have seven hours to make the most of,” Jack murmured against Ianto’s skin.

“You have an idea?” the younger immortal asked, his voice husky.

“Several,” Jack whispered. “Right now, I want you on your knees. I need to be inside you!”

With a groan, Ianto scrambled up on the bed, clutching a pillow to his chest and lifting his arse in the air to open himself to his partner. He expected to feel Jack’s fingers opening and preparing him, so the sensation of his hot, moist tongue entering him made him shiver. “Oh, yes,” he moaned, working his hips backwards as Jack darted his tongue in and out of his body. “More.”

Jack found the lube where they had stashed it the night before and popped the cap. Ianto’s channel was wet and relaxed from the rimming, so one slicked finger slid easily inside. Jack worked a second finger inside and felt Ianto clench around him. “Easy,” he muttered.

“No,” Ianto replied breathlessly. “Hard. Now. Want to be a little tight. Want to really feel you.”

After slicking his cock and tossing the lube aside, Jack knelt behind Ianto and grasped his hips. He pushed slowly inward until he was fully seated, then he drew back and pushed in hard, causing Ianto to cry out beneath him. 

He began to pound into him seeking both his own release and Ianto’s pleasure. His hand snaked around and found Ianto’s cock, grasping it and stroking him roughly as he thrust into him.

Ianto pushed forward into Jack’s hand and back onto his cock in a frantic rhythm. He needed to come. He could feel it building inside him. His vision blurred as his orgasm hit him without warning, and he split over Jack’s hand and onto the sheets beneath them. 

At almost the same moment, he heard a hoarse cry and felt Jack’s cock erupt inside him, filling him with his essence.

Jack eased out of Ianto and gently rolled him over, covering his body with his own and seeking his mouth. 

For over an hour, they lost themselves in deep, probing kisses as their hands roamed over chests, backs, and arses until they felt the need to return. Knowing how to best arouse the assassin, Jack began to tweak his nipples before taking one then the other in his mouth and teasing them to hard peaks.

Ianto was rapidly growing incoherent. Logically, he knew Jack had taken him just over an hour before, but he felt like it had been days or weeks. He ached to be filled. “Will,” he pleaded, spreading his legs in wanton invitation. 

Jack knelt between Ianto’s thighs and traced a finger over his opening, finding him still wet and relaxed from earlier. He watched as Ianto arched up and tried to draw the finger into his body. “Oh, you need this, don’t you?”

“Will, I will shoot you,” Ianto panted, glaring at the older immortal. “Do it,” he ordered.

“Do what?” Jack asked in his most innocent voice. He was again fully erect, but he loved it when Ianto got verbal.

The assassin knew this game, and he wasn’t playing this time. He could draw it out and give Jack a taste of what he wanted to hear, but he needed him too desperately, so he just surrendered. “I want your cock in me so far I can taste it. I want you to fuck me so hard that I see stars. I want you to pound my arse and come in me, Will Kanaris,” he snarled.

“Shit,” Jack groaned, almost coming from the image Ianto presented – flushed, aroused, and debauched as he painted a graphic picture of what he wanted. 

Lining himself up with Ianto’s entrance, he pushed inward, sliding home easily until his balls rested against his partner’s arse. He brought Ianto’s legs up to his shoulders to deepen the angle of penetration and began to thrust wildly. 

Ianto was moaning incoherently as he arched into Jack’s thrusts, taking him as deep as he could and clenching his muscles harder and tighter around him. He felt a hand wrap around his neglected cock and watched through heavily lidded eyes as Jack pumped him furiously.

“Come for me,” Jack urged. “I want to watch you come as I fuck you.”

“Will!” Ianto shouted as his cock erupted over his partner’s hand and his own torso. 

Above him, Jack thrust harder and faster; pounding into him almost painfully until his breath hitched and he went still, before driving home in one harsh thrust and emptying himself into Ianto’s body again.

As Jack collapsed on his chest, Ianto wrapped his arms around him and held him, whispering into his sweat soaked hair, “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Jack muttered against Ianto’s skin as they both drifted into a sated sleep; knowing when they woke this would all be over except for the clean-up and then they could get back to normal.

 

~

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Six weeks later, normal took on a completely new definition. For the fifth time in as many days, Ianto woke up feeling like he was about to be violently ill. 

Jack was still sleeping soundly beside him as he quickly made his way to the bathroom; pleading with his body to wait until he got there. Somehow, he’d successfully managed to hide his illness from his partner and the team, but he realised it was only a matter of time before they noticed that something was wrong.

As he stood in the bathroom and leant against the wall next to the toilet, Ianto tried to think back to anything he had eaten in the days preceding that would still have an effect on his immortal physiology after five days.

When his stomach heaved again, but he didn’t bring anything up, Ianto decided that they hadn’t eaten anything out of the ordinary recently. In fact, Ianto couldn’t even remember stopping to eat anything at all; they had been so busy. It was a good job he couldn’t die of starvation – well, a good job he couldn’t permanently die of starvation.

His stomach continued to churn and Ianto closed his eyes, willing the nausea down with all his might. The temperature of the tiles on the bathroom wall felt wonderful against his skin and Ianto turned around to face it, pressing his forehead against the wall.

“Stop it,” he instructed his stomach, glaring fiercely at it. For a second the churning stopped, like his body had actually listened to him, before it started once more; slightly stronger than before as well. “I mean it,” he threatened himself, turning back around and leaning back against the tiles. “I will shoot you.” Maybe resetting his system would solve the problem; but he didn’t really want to clean up the mess.

He placed a hand on his stomach, just above the waistband of his pyjama bottoms, trying desperately to not bring whatever might be inside him up. 

His blue eyes flew open immediately when he felt the heat underneath his palm. “What?” he breathed, staring down at his body with wide eyes. “But it can’t be…” he murmured, pushing his hand further up his chest to test the temperature of his skin. There was a noticeable temperature change, and when he returned his hand to his stomach, it did feel hotter than the rest of his body.

Ianto groaned and squeezed his eyes closed. “Oh, fuck,” he whispered. “Will is going to kill me.”

~

Tim looked up from the report in front of him when someone burst into the medical bay. He expelled a sigh of relief when he saw Ianto standing at the top of the stairs. “You should be careful,” he muttered. “You’re going to give people a heart attack one of these days entering a room like that.”

Ianto didn’t speak as he headed down the stairs, not stopping until he was facing Tim. “Where’s Jack?” he demanded, placing his hands on his hips and looking at the medic intently.

Tim frowned deeply. “Gone on a hunt with Petra,” he answered warily, taking his glasses off and looking up at Torchwood’s second in command. “Ianto, is there something…?” he trailed off when Ianto began pulling out a kit to take blood. 

“Move those,” he instructed, nodding to the files Tim had spread across the workspace. “I need you to do a blood test,” he added when Tim remained still. “Quickly, before Jack gets back.”

Tim, in a complete daze, obliged and shifted the papers to allow Ianto to sit down. “And whose blood am I testing?” he eventually asked, watching as Ianto quickly unfastened his cuff and pushed his sleeve up.

“Mine,” Ianto retorted with a quick glance at his watch, mentally calculating how much time they had before Jack and Petra’s return. “There’s nothing wrong with me, per se,” he added, noticing that Tim hadn’t made any effort to begin the test.

Tim blinked, dragging himself out of his daze. He crossed the room and pulling on a pair of surgical latex gloves. “If there’s nothing wrong with you, then why . . .? Unless you’re… You don’t think you’re…?” he trailed off, remembering Jack and Ianto’s unique medical history. 

“I’m not certain,” Ianto answered honestly. “But it’s very possible. Which is why I need you to do the test,” he finished, trying desperately to keep his voice patient.

The medic nodded his head, before falling silent as he grabbed a tourniquet from the kit. “Lie back,” he ordered, raising one end of the examination table a little so Ianto could pillow his head.

“Normally I would argue about being ordered around,” Ianto muttered, shifting on the uncomfortable bed, “but in this case…”

“I’m the doctor and I know best,” Tim retorted with a grin, setting up a new syringe. “This will pinch,” he warned the immortal, nodding to the needle in his hand.

Ianto gritted his teeth and nodded. “Pinch? It hurts like hell!” He scowled. “Just get on with it,” he added, turning his head and hissing in pain when Tim did as instructed and carefully slid the needle into Ianto’s vein. “Fuck!” he swore. “It gets worse every time.”

Tim rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting as he focused on drawing blood from the immortal. “You’re an assassin who can’t die, yet a tiny little prick from a needle has you flinching like a girl,” he chuckled, shaking his head as he withdrew the needle.

Ianto glared at the back of his head as Tim turned to the computer. “Well, if anyone would know what a small prick felt like,” he muttered, pulling the tourniquet off and pushing his sleeve back down.

Tim laughed and shook his head, placing the small vial of blood in the machine and setting it running. “Oh, that’s original,” he retorted, studying the results that were quickly displayed on the screen. “Couldn’t you have thought of anything be-?”

Ianto frowned when Tim trailed off mid-word. “It’s positive, isn’t it?” he asked, guessing that Tim’s reaction couldn’t mean anything else.

Tim nodded his head. “Wow,” he breathed. He had known male pregnancy was possible in the Harkness-Jones family, but seeing the proof before his very eyes was something completely different. “That’s amazing,” he added, before blinking and bringing himself back to the present, and returning to doctor mode. “Any idea when this happened?” he asked.

The assassin shrugged his shoulders. “I have a suspicion,” he confessed, a slightly evasive tone in his voice. 

“Are you going to elaborate?” Tim pressed, folding his arms across his chest.

Ianto shook his head and jogged back up the stairs to the exit of the medical bay. “No,” he replied simply. At the top, he paused and turned back to look down at the computer. He smiled a little to himself, before he met Tim’s gaze. “Keep this between us for now.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Doctor-patient confidentiality. I think I can do that,” he scoffed.

“I mean it,” Ianto said, smirking almost evilly. “If Jack finds out before I get chance to tell him, I will shoot you.”

~

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jack closed the boot of the SUV and turned to look at Petra. The slender blonde was shivering beside him. “Cold?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

“No wonder Ianto calls you Captain Obvious,” Petra muttered. “You would think after nearly ten years on this tiny island, I would have adapted to cold, damp, and rainy, but no. I need a hot drink.”

“Let’s get our new residents back to the Hub,” Jack told her. “I’m sure Ianto has some coffee brewing.”

“While that sounds like nirvana, I am not waiting to get back to the Hub when there’s a perfectly good coffee shop right over there,” Petra told him, nodding over Jack’s shoulder. “I’ll even buy you one.”

Jack crinkled his nose. “I only drink Ianto’s coffee,” he murmured with a shake of his head.

“Oh, don’t be a snob, Captain,” Petra called as she sashayed away; her black encased hips and legs an invitation to sin. “Besides, you made a face at his coffee this morning. I think you’re just being picky today,” she added over her shoulder.

“I did not make a face at his coffee!” Jack called, horrified. “Don’t tell him that. He’ll shoot me.” 

Slouching against the SUV, the Captain waited impatiently for his technician. The wind changed and the scent of coffee from the nearby café filled his nose. He grimaced, fighting down the urge to gag. Drinking the caffeine filled beverage just did not sound good today, which was beyond weird. The only time he ever disliked coffee was… 

Jack went ramrod still at the thought and he quickly thought back over the past week. He tried to remember the last time he had actually drunk coffee; it just hadn’t tasted right. That coupled with how tired he had been feeling lately, and taking into account how irritable he was compared to usual all added up to and everything pointed to one thing. 

Moving around to the far side of the SUV so that he would be hidden from Petra’s view when she returned, he loosened his shirt and trousers just enough to allow his fingers to brush the skin of his still-flat abdomen.

He gasped when he felt the tell-tale heat of his skin. How on Earth had he missed it? For that matter, how had Ianto? He tended to know Jack’s body better than the Captain did. Still, he thought, the assassin had seemed distracted and pale for the past few days. Jack had been trying to get him alone to see what was wrong, but they’d been so busy that he hadn’t had a chance.

“Fuck,” he muttered, straightening his clothes. “Ianto’s going to kill me.”

“For what?” Petra’s voice made Jack jump and give a high-pitched shriek. “You scream like a girl, Jack.”

“Don’t do that!” the Captain bellowed. “Only Ianto is allowed to move around like that, and that’s because I trained him.”

“Who do you think trained me?” Petra grinned, handing Jack a cup of coffee. “Two extra shots; just the way you like it.”

Jack managed to control his expression of disgust as he took the coffee. “Thanks,” he said, forcing a grin onto his face.

“So, what is Ianto going to shoot you for this time?” Petra asked. “I need to check what I have in the pool first.”

“Funny,” Jack snarled. He brought the coffee to his lips, but quickly realised there was no way he could make himself drink it and that he probably shouldn’t anyway. If he was right, he was off caffeine for the next nine - or so - months. 

“He’s going to shoot me for cheating on him with someone else’s coffee. In fact, it’s not worth it. I’ll get the real thing at the Hub.” He dumped the contents of the cup on the ground and tossed Petra the car keys. “Drive us back. I need to meet with Tim about a few things.”

If Petra was surprised, she didn’t show it. Instead, she gleefully jogged around the SUV and slid behind the wheel; Jack rarely let anyone other than himself or Ianto drive. 

Jack got into the passenger side and fastened his seat belt, briefly allowing his hand to brush his abdomen as a small smile ghosted across his face. 

~

When they arrived back at the Hub, Jack sent Kara to help Petra secure their new residents in the cells. He quickly made his way to the medical bay, where he found Tim intently studying something on his computer. 

“Where’s Ianto?” he asked, then chuckled as the medic jumped before quickly closing the file he was reading.

“Erm, haven’t seen him.” Tim muttered, looking away from the Captain. “Why would I have?” he asked quickly, his voice hitching up a little.

“He’s not in trouble,” Jack laughed, thinking their doctor was trying to protect the assassin from the Captain’s wrath. “I was just wondering where he was. What has you so wound up?”

Tim let out a sigh. “Nothing. Just doing some reading.” He couldn’t tell Jack that he’d been researching their files on male pregnancies – Ianto’s with Dominic, Jack’s with Rory, and Rory’s with Cali and Gwyn – since Ianto left. If he was going to be responsible for helping his Captain and second bring a new life into the world, he wasn’t about to let them down. 

“Ah, it’s not porn I take it,” Jack grinned. At Tim’s confused frown, he shook his head. It would just be too easy. “Okay, I repeat my earlier question. Where’s Ianto?” 

“I think he’s in the shooting range,” Tim answered honestly. Knowing the assassin, after the news he had just gotten, that was just about the only place he would be.

“He may want to stay there,” Jack muttered, and then looked at his medic. “Look, we need to keep this between us. I don’t want Ianto, the girls, or anyone else to know. I need you to run some tests and I want you to pull up the files you have on male pregnancies – mine, Ianto’s, and Rory’s.”

“Why?” Tim yelped. Jack couldn’t know, could he? Ianto was going to assume it was his fault, and he was going to shoot him somewhere painful. In fact, Tim doubted he’d ever father children himself once Ianto was done. The medic was in such a dither that he didn’t notice Jack jump up on the exam table and roll up his sleeve.

“Tim!” Jack barked, finally managing to get the medic’s attention. “Ianto’s not going to be down there forever. Get over here and take my blood.”

Tim blinked a couple of times. “Your blood?” he stammered. What was Jack thinking? Surely he didn’t think someone else had fathered Ianto’s baby? Both men were flirts, but they were completely faithful to each other. Besides, it was too early for a paternity test. “Why am I taking your blood?”

“How else are you going to run a pregnancy test?” Jack sighed. “I mean, you can do a scan, but if I am I want Ianto to be here for that.”

“If you are?” Tim nearly shouted as the pieces fell into place. He began to gather the blood testing supplies. They were in easy reach from Ianto’s earlier visit. “You think you might be pregnant?”

“What the hell is wrong with you today?” Jack demanded. “You’re worse than Kara. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a reasonable suspicion that I am. Get over here, take my blood, and run the damn test before Ianto comes back. I don’t want to say anything to him until I know for sure. It’s been a long time since we had a child. I don’t want to get his hopes up if I’m not.”

“Yeah,” Tim muttered. “Be sure first. Don’t want to work everyone up over nothing.” He felt like his feet were encased in lead. This really was not happening. It was too bizarre, even for Torchwood. “So,” he managed to sound casual as he prepared Jack’s arm and drew the blood, “any idea how far along?”

“I have a pretty good one, yeah,” Jack replied with a grin. 

“And that’s all I’m getting?” Tim demanded as he moved to run the test. What was it with these two and ambiguity? “As your doctor, knowing would be good.”

“If I am, I promise a full work-up - complete with scan and dates - as soon as I tell Ianto,” Jack said, watching the medic intently and seeing his back stiffen. “Well?”

“Bloody hell,” Tim whispered. “Bloody fucking hell.”

“Hey!” Jack sounded offended. “Try to act just a little happy. It’s not exactly planned, but…”

“Sorry, Jack,” Tim turned and smiled at him. “I am happy for both of you. I just… I’m just a little stunned.”

“You knew this was possible,” Jack reminded him. “It’s why we gave you access to our personal medical records when we hired you. If you can’t handle this …” the Captain was all business now. He needed a competent medic who would not freak out at taking care of a pregnant male. As much as he cared about Tim, their son or daughter came first.

“Of course I can handle it!” Tim told him. “I swear to you, Jack. I will provide your family with the best medical care I can.”

Jack squeezed the medic’s shoulder. “Thanks. I know we can count on you. Look, I’m going to find Ianto and take him home so I can tell him the good news. We’ll meet back here in the morning and you can do a complete work up, okay?”

“Count on it,” Tim told him as he watched the Captain vanish happily into the main part of the Hub before dropping into his chair. 

While he had considered that he might one day have to manage a pregnancy for Jack or Ianto, the idea of handling two at once had never occurred to him. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how this had happened. They’d both figured it out about the same time, so the conceptions had to be fairly close together. 

Based on the data from past Harkness-Jones pregnancies, once a male conceived he was effectively unable to impregnate anyone for the duration of the pregnancy. The hormones in his body rendered him sterile by the time symptoms began to appear. How soon that happened was uncertain, but the information suggested it was no later than a month after conception.

“They could deliver within weeks of each other,” Tim muttered, and then it hit him: the alien device and the lockdown. Jack and Ianto had both been vague about when they had conceived. It made sense. 

‘Dear God,’ the medic thought. ‘They may very well deliver within hours of each other.’ 

He could manage both pregnancies, but he would need medical help for the deliveries. He was also going to have to pull both of them from the field immediately per protocol, and that presented a huge problem for Torchwood. They were well and truly fucked.

 

~

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Tim had been staring at the phone for over an hour. Jack had left immediately after getting the results, telling Ianto he would see him at home. The assassin had stayed at the Hub for a while, and then followed his partner. Tim had no doubt one or the other would return to the Hub at some point tonight; he had odds on Ianto needing the firing range. Petra and Kara were also gone. If he was going to do this, it was going to have to be now. 

The problem was what he was going to say? How did you ring an ex-girlfriend you hadn’t seen in five years and tell her to get her attractive, albeit spoilt, arse back to Cardiff because both of her grandfathers were up the duff and benched effective immediately? 

“Bloody Torchwood,” Tim sighed. He should have just stayed with the NHS. They were incompetent, but not weird.

With another sigh, he pushed himself to his feet and headed over to the small kitchenette a few feet away, pulling open the fridge and withdrawing a cold beer. If he was going go through with his plan, he sure as hell wasn’t going to do it sober. He’d have one now, make his call, then go home and get well and truly pissed.

The medic opened his email and pulled up the most recent message he had received from his ex, informing him of her new telephone number. “Last chance to talk yourself out of it,” he muttered to himself, drumming his fingers on the desk next to the keyboard before he sighed and shook his head.

“I’m talking to myself,” he scoffed, reaching for the phone and quickly dialling the phone number, complete with US country code.

He hesitated again, before pressing the call button and putting the phone to his ear. Please pick up, he thought to himself as he listened to it ringing. If he couldn’t get in touch with Cali, he had no idea what the Torchwood team was going to do in the following months.

“Ryman,” the call was eventually answered and Tim frowned deeply. The voice on the other end of the line had far too strong a Southern accent to be his ex-girlfriend.

“Erm…” He murmured, hating himself for how stupid he sounded. “Li?”

There was immediate silence on the other end of the line and for a long moment; Tim thought he’d actually cancelled the call by accident. “Tim?” she eventually asked. “Is that you?”

He chuckled and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the familiar Welsh undertones sliding into her accent. “Yeah, it’s me,” he assured her. “What happened to your accent?”

Cali clicked her tongue and chuckled, “Side effect of being surrounded by Americans all day for the past five years, I suppose.” They fell silent for a moment, neither of them entirely sure what to say to each other, before Cali whispered, “How… How are you doin’?”

Tim smiled and ran the tips of his fingers over the label of the bottle he held in his hand. “You know me; same as always. Pushing on as usual,” he added with a sigh. 

“Good,” Cali murmured, sounding as though her mind were a thousand miles away from her body. “That’s good. You’re…” She fell silent, and Tim wondered what she was going to ask him, but he never found out as she changed the subject. “That’s really good. Grandpa and Granddad aren’t giving you too hard a time, are they?”

Tim laughed and rolled his eyes. “You have no idea,” he muttered. “They’re actually the reason I’m calling you.”

“Why?” Cali questioned immediately. “Is something wrong with them?” she demanded.

“You could say that,” he replied, delving straight into a recount of the events of six weeks ago, what had happened in the past day, and everything he had discovered about his two employers.

When the medic finished his story, Cali was silent on the other end of the line and Tim had the same thought he’d had a few moments before, that he had cancelled the call. “Li?” he asked in concern. “Are you still there?”

The female Time Lord chuckled weakly, and Tim could almost see her nod her head. “Yeah, I’m here,” she assured him. “Are you certain they are? Both of them?” she questioned. “It’s not just a hunch?”

“I wouldn’t call you if it was just a hunch,” Tim snapped defensively. “I did the tests on them both myself.”

“Why are you calling me?” Cali asked.

Tim rolled his eyes. “Come on, Li, who else am I going to call when Jack and Ianto aren’t themselves?” he retorted. “You’re the only member of the family I know other than the two of them. They’ll listen to you.”

Cali laughed. “You are kidding, right?” He could practically see her twisting her hair around her finger. “I’m the last person they’ll listen to.”

Tim sighed. “Then call your Dad, bring your brother, or something,” he replied. “Look, Cali, we really needed someone to help us out before all this happened. Now, we’re in big trouble. You’re the only person that I can think of to help us. Otherwise, I have no idea how we’ll keep both Jack and Ianto safe for the next eight months.”

“Okay,” Cali agreed.

The corners of Tim’s mouth curled up in a smile. “Really?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah,” Cali replied and Tim could almost see her smile. “Who knows, maybe while I’m there we could have dinner?” she asked, ever the bold one in their on and off fling.

“I’d like that,” Tim answered honestly.

~

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jack had spent hours wringing his hands, trying to figure out how he was going to broach the subject of another child to Ianto. He had never liked beating around the bush, but he didn’t think he could just blurt out the truth without making Ianto run for the hills.

Eventually, he decided the romantic approach would be best and stopped off at their favourite shop on the way home from the Hub, grabbing scented candles and Ianto’s choice of bubble bath.

Running the water and pouring a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub, Jack smiled when he thought back to the day they had moved into the house. Dominic had been eleven and so glad to not be living in the Hub anymore. He and Rory had fought over who got which room, until Jack had shouted that they would sleep in the garden if they didn’t shut up.

When the tub was full, Jack turned the water off and headed back down to the kitchen to find a bottle of champagne for Ianto and something non-alcoholic for himself. He was a high-risk male pregnancy; he wasn’t about to do something that would put their baby in more peril than it already was. 

Cursing himself for never buying a bottle cooler, Jack ran some cold water into the sink and filled it with ice cubes, carefully setting the bottle in the sink to chill until Ianto got home.

Ianto returned home barely five minutes after Jack had set the champagne down. “Will?” he called, following the light down the corridor and entering the kitchen. “W-What’s wrong?” he stammered, licking his lips nervously when he noticed the bottle of champagne.

“Wrong?” Jack asked, frowning a little. “Nothing’s wrong,” he assured the assassin. “At least, I hope nothing is. Trust me; this is something good for once.”

“You’ve got champagne,” Ianto nodded over Jack’s shoulder at the chilling bottle. “You get that for two occasions. Either you’ve messed up and are trying to make it up to me, or you’re about to propose again.” He studied the Captain, “You’re not, are you?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Jack rolled his eyes. “No,” he assured him. “I have no intention in marrying you again. Not after what happened the first time.”

Ianto chuckled and crossed the room, sliding his arms around the Captain’s neck. “Then, what’s with the celebration?” he whispered, pressing a kiss on Jack’s lips and trying to quash the feeling of nausea that had decided to make its grand re-appearance. 

Jack smiled and kissed Ianto back for a moment. “I want to pamper you a little,” he murmured.

For a second, panic flared inside Ianto and he thought Jack already knew about the baby inside him. He was so busy planning Tim’s slow and painful murder that he didn’t even notice Jack moving out of his arms to grab a glass.

He only started paying attention again when he heard the cupboard door close. “I thought you could have a drink while we relax in the bubble bath I’ve run upstairs. The water’s been sitting for a while, so it should be at the temperature you like,” Jack added, knowing that Ianto hated piping hot baths.

Ianto looked at the glass Jack was holding and placed his hand over the Captain’s before he could open it. “Actually, Will,” he whispered, running his thumb over the inside of Jack’s wrist. “Maybe the champagne can wait until later?”

“What about the bath?” Jack asked softly, frowning deeply; he could barely suppress the urge to place his hand over his stomach – a protective gesture he automatically did when he was pregnant.

“We can always run some more water in a bit,” Ianto pointed out gently. “And, unless you’ve used the entire bottle, we have more bubble bath.” Jack looked as though he was going to argue and Ianto sighed, taking the Captain’s hands in his. “Please, Will,” he implored, looking into Jack’s blue eyes, “we really need to talk.”

Worry immediately swelled in Jack’s stomach at Ianto’s words. “We need to talk,” he muttered with a shake of his head, sliding down into a chair at the table. “The four most dreaded words in any language,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “How did you know?”

“How did I know?” Ianto repeated, raising an eyebrow; he was right, Jack did know already. “It’s sort of hard to miss when you’ve been through something like this before,” he pointed out.

"I bet Tim told you, didn't he?" Jack accused, his eyes darkening murderously as he thought about creative ways he could torture the medic. 

"No, I tried a do-it-yourself approach. Of course Tim told me,” Ianto scoffed. “Who else would I go to? Kara?" He actually felt horrified at the mere thought of the young woman sticking a needle in him.

"I'm going to kill him. I told him this was between me and you." Jack ran his fingers over the grain on the wood, trying to collect his thoughts, before looking back up at Ianto, "I suppose having you already know makes this part easier," he murmured, trying to smile at the assassin.

“You need to get in line,” Ianto muttered, a scowl on his own face. “He wasn’t supposed to say anything to you. I told him I would shoot him; idiot must have not believed me. He really should know better. I let the whole affair with Cali slide because he’s a good doctor, but that’s just not good enough this time…”

Jack frowned deeply. "You told him he wasn't supposed to tell... Wait a minute, are we...? Ianto, what are you talking about?"

Ianto stared at his partner, wondering if he had actually been paying attention to the conversation. “We’re talking about the baby, you idiot. What else would we be talking about?” he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in irritation.

"Don't call me an idiot,” Jack snapped, glaring at Ianto. “You don't sound like you're talking about me being pregnant.” He paused for a second before commenting, “You're actually taking it better than I did. I was expecting you to come in here intent on murder."

There was silence in the kitchen for a long moment, before Ianto blinked slowly; he was trying to process the words Jack had just spoken. Deciding that he must have misheard the Captain, he instructed, “Run that by me one more time. You being pregnant?”

“Are you being dumb on purpose? You just told me you knew about the baby. Of course I'm pregnant, what else?" 

Ianto folded his arms protectively across his chest and looked over at Jack. “You’re not being funny, Will. Didn’t you learn last time that teasing a pregnant assassin is dangerous?” he warned him.

"Excuse me?” Jack’s eyes widened with shock. “A pregnant assassin? What have you been smoking?" he demanded.

“Cut the crap, Will. This is serious. It’s happening, and we need to deal with it.”

"I am being serious!” Jack exclaimed indignantly. “I'm pregnant. Tim confirmed it for me about five hours ago, maybe less. I was there when he ran my blood and got the results."

Ianto swallowed thickly and felt a fresh wave of nausea wash over him. "I need to sit down,” he murmured, swaying a little and placing a hand on the table to steady himself. “I don't feel so well," he added; his voice was barely higher than a whisper.

"Ianto, what's wrong?” Jack demanded as Ianto sat down. When the assassin didn’t answer him immediately, he added, “I know this is a surprise, but... You're acting like you're pregnant."

“Surprise? Are you… you really have no idea do you?” Ianto looked over at Jack, wondering if the Captain was just pretending to be dumb.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Okay, I feel like I've slipped into some kind of bizarre parallel universe. Let's start from the beginning,” he decided. “Ianto, I have something to tell you. I'm pregnant,” he rattled off quickly. “Right, your turn," he indicated his partner, urging him to speak.

“Ditto,” Ianto replied; his voice monotone as he focused on not being violently ill over the kitchen table.

The Captain’s eyes widened and he breathed, “Shit.”

Ianto let out a humourless laugh and rolled his own eyes. “Yep, that about covers it.”

"You're… You’re not joking, are you?” Jack questioned, still unable to fully comprehend what Ianto had just told him.

“Not in the slightest.” Ianto shook his head. “Do I look like I have a sense of humour about this? Tim took my blood earlier. About six and a half hours ago now.” It was a testament to how distracted he was that he didn’t know exactly how much time had passed.

"About an hour before he took mine, then,” Jack decided, thinking back to his earlier meeting with Torchwood’s medic. “So, that's why he was acting so weird? Did you threaten him?" he accused, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Ianto snorted with laughter and raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? He’d just told me I was pregnant. He’s lucky all I did was threaten him,” he muttered darkly.

Jack sighed and shook his head. "You really need to learn you can't threaten everyone in exchange for their silence,” he murmured; wondering, not for the first time, if training Ianto to be an assassin had been the best decision the Time Agency had made. “When did it happen, do you think?" he asked softly.

“Alien-induced sex, water towers, and twenty-four hours of non-stop shagging ring a bell?” Ianto snapped impatiently.

“Oh God,” Jack murmured, running a hand over his face as he realised what Ianto was implying. “That device we found..."

Ianto nodded. “We were beyond stupid that night,” he stated.

Jack lowered his hand and looked at Ianto, finally letting his hand slide down to rest on his stomach. He smiled tightly when he felt the comforting heat underneath palm. "God,” he breathed, “using protection was the last thing on my mind. All I could think about was you and how much I wanted you."

They fell silent until Ianto asked the question that had been burning in the back of his mind for the entire conversation, “How long have you suspected?”

"Since earlier today,” Jack confessed, remembering back to the moment with Petra and the coffee. “I've been off coffee for days; I just thought I was feeling a little bored of it. How long have you known? You must have suspected for you to go to Tim in the first place."

"I've been sick for the past five days,” Ianto informed the Captain. “I knew if it didn't start to get better soon, I'd have to tell you. I couldn’t even believe you hadn’t noticed. Then this morning... I felt the heat when I was in the bathroom... And don't think I'm letting the coffee comment slide,” he added, glaring fiercely at the older immortal. “We'll fight about that later. No one gets bored with my coffee.” 

Jack winced at the annoyance in Ianto’s tone; if there were two things you never insulted, they were Ianto Jones’ aim and his coffee. "Is that why you've been spending so much time in the bathroom lately? I just thought you were being vain,” Jack murmured with a smirk.

Ianto scowled. "So, first my coffee's boring and now I'm vain? You're really taking advantage of the fact that I can’t shoot you." 

“I’ll take what I can get. It's the first time in over a hundred years that you haven't been able to shoot me. So, I'm taking full advantage of that fact! If it makes you feel any better, I can't shoot you either,” Jack offered, trying to make Ianto smile a little; although the attempt fell flat on its face.

“When do you think ... I mean how far along are you?" Ianto asked, dragging Jack’s attention back to the problem at hand.

Jack shrugged a little. “I... I don't know for certain,” he whispered, looking down at his hand. “Tim just did the blood test to confirm I was right. But I think…" He trailed off and winced a little before continuing, "I think it happened the same night. We've been too busy for anything but collapsing into bed lately. That was really the only time …"

Ianto looked as pale as Jack had seen him since his first pregnancy. "Let me make sure I understand this and I’m not actually losing my mind. Not only are we both pregnant, but we likely conceived within the same twenty-four hour period, and will probably deliver close to the same time?" He looked at Jack for confirmation that he was right.

Jack sighed heavily and nodded his head, “That pretty much sums it up, yeah. We're going to end up wanting to tear each other's heads off in the next few months, aren't we?” he asked, trying to make Ianto chuckle once more.

Ianto roughly pushed his chair away from the table and got to his feet, making Jack jump. “I need to get out of here,” the assassin muttered, swaying a little as blood rushed to his head.

"What? Ianto! You can't just run away from this!" Jack cried, staring up at his partner.

Ianto shook his head, swallowing around the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. “I can’t deal with this right now,” he croaked. “I need to be anywhere but here.”

Jack pushed himself to his feet and moved around the table so he was standing next to Ianto. "How do you think I feel? You're not the only one going through this, you know?” he pointed out, placing his hands on his hips.

“I’m well aware of that, Will Kanaris,” Ianto snapped, closing his eyes for a moment, trying desperately to get his body under control, “but I need some space. If I can’t shoot someone, I sure as hell am going to shoot something.”

Jack scowled and took a step back from Ianto, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Fine! Go! Run away from problems, just like usual!" He grabbed his coat and roughly threw it on; if Ianto wasn’t going to stay and talk like an adult, he sure as hell wasn’t going to hang around an empty house. "If you can run, so can I."

“You’re actually far better at it than I am. You’ve had more practice.” Ianto looked down and closed his eyes once more, trying to calm himself down. “I need to go clear my head, Will,” he said, his voice soft. “Before I say something I’ll regret.”

"You're a bastard, you know that?" Jack asked, fastening his coat with slightly more aggression than necessary. 

Ianto nodded slowly, watching Jack with weary blue eyes. “Trust me, I know,” he agreed, moving away from the table and heading to the door, “because I’m not sure what I want to do here,” he confessed. “I’m pretty sure that makes me the worst type of bastard there is,” he added, leaving the room and allowing the door to slam closed behind him. 

~

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jack stood overlooking Cardiff. He couldn’t help but think about when he’d done something similar after returning from his imprisonment aboard the Valiant to discover that Ianto was carrying their first child. He’d been just as stunned and at a loss for what to do then.

After Megan, he’d never imagined wanting to be a parent again. Dominic, then Rory, had changed all of that. Even with Ianto’s reluctance to talk about children in the years since they’d lost their sons, he’d never doubted that they would have others. Both of them adored being parents. 

There were many days he doubted they were good at it, but he wagered every parent did that. He knew they loved their children. Nick and Rory had been part of them; the kind of immortality they were supposed to have, not the one they’d been cursed with. Now, they saw themselves and their sons living on in Cali, Gwyn, and Kat’s descendants. 

Jack only knew one thing; from the moment he’d felt the heat of his skin and known he was carrying a new life – Ianto’s child –he knew that he loved and wanted him or her. He felt the exact same way about the child Ianto was carrying. The circumstances were far from ideal, but he imagined it had to have happened before - or would happen. Pregnancy and temporal mechanics did not mix, he mused. Both tended to make him dizzy.

He knew Ianto’s emotions were jumbled. He recalled every detail of the younger man’s pregnancy with Nick; he had been a hormonal mess. The vulnerability and inactivity of pregnancy had fought with Ianto’s natural urges. He’d stayed in the field too long, nearly getting himself and their son killed by the idiots with the space whale; thanks in no small part to Gwen. 

Jack had to smile. Gwen would be taking a strip off of both of them for getting themselves into this mess, and then she would have placed herself firmly between them and any danger. He knew their present team would do the same thing, but it was a moot point.

After what had happened while Ianto was carrying Dominic, the assassin had insisted on writing strict Torchwood protocols for pregnant operatives. Jack had been forced to follow them while carrying Rory, especially after he nearly died before even knowing he was pregnant and would have if Felix had not sacrificed a regeneration to save him. Despite the precautions, both Jack and Rory had been at risk during Rory’s birth, directly resulting in their younger son’s connection to the Rift. 

Over the years, they’d had other operatives have children and they had protected and supported them. They’d also had operatives elect to leave once they learned they were to become parents, and they’d dealt with more than one tragedy when a pregnant operative had been injured or worse in the field.

Nick had enforced the protocols with Rory, including revoking his field clearance completely when he disobeyed him early in his pregnancy with Gwyn. What happened when Rory delivered Gwyn was unavoidable as well, and further proof that life in Torchwood was dangerous even when you took every precaution. 

Jack would always be thankful that the Doctor and the TARDIS had been there; they’d saved Rory and given them seven more years with their son.

The Doctor. Jack smiled ruefully. He would not approve of this situation. The immortal knew they had to let Felix, Cali, and Gwyn know about the pregnancies eventually, but the Doctor could wait. Ianto did not need the extra stress the Time Lord was sure to cause him. Actually, neither did Jack. 

They’d send him a birth announcement when the babies turned two, or maybe when they went off to University.

Sighing, Jack looked out over his city. Thinking ahead to having two babies in their lives again was wonderful, but they had more immediate concerns. They were going to have to come up with a plan so they could continue to protect Cardiff, their team, and most importantly, their unborn children. He knew he couldn’t make Ianto come out of the field unless he was willing to as well, and that created a huge problem.

The one person Jack could always rely on in a crisis was Ianto. The assassin had needed time to work through his conflicting emotions, but now Jack needed him. He knew he’d find him in the firing range at the Hub, and they would face this challenge just like they had every other since they’d reunited – together.

~

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ianto didn’t even wait for the cog door to roll open fully before he entered the Hub, storming past the workstations and heading in the direction of the stairs that would lead him to the shooting range in the level below the work areas. He was so focused on getting there that he didn’t even notice Tim hiding from him in the medical bay.

Despite his twisting emotions, he paused in the doorway and smiled to himself as he took in his surroundings. Over a hundred years had passed since he had first set foot in the Torchwood shooting range, and the sight of the weapons and abused targets still made the assassin in him giddy with glee.

After allowing himself a moment to savour the feeling, he pushed himself away from the door and moved past the shooting booths, around to where he kept the weapons; like the archives, the shooting range was his and his alone.

Opening the armoury cupboard, Ianto selected a simple gun, nothing fancy or flashy, and grabbed a handful of magazines from the almost full box before heading back to one of the booths.

With a sigh he threw the weapons down and looked back at the targets. All of them were far too large for his tastes; he preferred to practice on a smaller target to improve his aim. In the past, Jack had actually stood in between two targets and made Ianto shoot them. The assassin was proud that he had only shot Jack once – and that was Jack’s fault for using dirty talk as a distraction technique. Not that he could do that now that Jack was…

Ianto placed a hand on his stomach, feeling the heat there, and smiled to himself. “Which one do you think we should go with, kid?” he asked. “H8?” He nodded. “That’s what I was thinking as well.” He grinned and picked up a revolver. “Looks like we’re going to get on great.”

He didn’t bother with the ear protectors; he just checked there were bullets in the gun before looking over at the targets. H8 was as far back as it was possible to go, and one of the smallest targets. As such, not many of Torchwood’s employees could hit it. Ianto took great pride in knowing that only he, Jack, and their children – and Petra – could hit H8.

When the gun clicked, indicating the end of the magazine, Ianto sighed and lowered the weapon, replacing the safety.

“After a hundred years, you’re still as predictable as you were when I met you,” Jack’s voice said softly from behind him, making the assassin jump.

“Don’t do that!” Ianto scowled, gathering up the other weapons and moving back to the armoury. “You could have gotten killed and in your current condition…”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I waited until you’d finished for that very reason,” he retorted. “And you can say it, you know? I’m pregnant, Ianto.”

Ianto nodded his head and continued placing the guns in their proper places in the armoury. “So am I,” he whispered, pausing with his hand resting against the caged door. “How could we be so stupid, Will?” he exclaimed.

Jack sighed and moved across the room, stopping when he was standing behind Ianto and sliding his arms around the younger man’s waist. “It wasn’t your fault,” he murmured, ducking his head and pressing a kiss against Ianto’s neck. “If anyone should be feeling guilty, it should be me.”

“You?”

“I had my hand on it,” the Captain explained. “It activated because I leant on it.” Ianto fell silent and his head fell forward for a moment. “You did well, though; making sure everyone got out of the Hub so quickly,” Jack added.

“The first rule of surviving an attack like that is containment,” Ianto said with a shrug of his shoulders, placing one hand over Jack’s, which was resting on his stomach. “I was just doing what I’d been trained to do.”

“Something like that was hardly a fatal attack,” Jack murmured with a chuckle, squeezing Ianto a little tighter.

Ianto smiled tightly and finishing putting the weapons away, before locking them up; he didn’t trust Kara not to get a little trigger-happy. “I don’t know,” he argued. “Besides us, we have two females and one male employee; Kara is off-limits, but imagine how Petra would have reacted if Tim had hit on her?”

“That’s an easy one,” Jack replied saucily. “She would have shot him. He’s not her type.”

“He’s male, you mean,” Ianto said with a laugh.

“Petra likes them pretty and decidedly female,” Jack confirmed. “When we first recruited her, I admit I was a little jealous. You two get on so well, but I figured it out fairly quickly.”

“You’ve never had anything to be jealous of,” Ianto assured him seriously. “Petra and I just click; I understand her. It’s nice to find someone else who finds emptying clips into targets a form of relaxation.”

“Hey,” Jack protested. “I like target practice and weapons training.”

“Form of relaxation, Will,” Ianto repeated. “Not seduction.”

“Seduction is relaxing,” Jack purred, pressing against Ianto’s back.

“Stop that,” Ianto told him. “That’s how we got into this mess.” 

“It is a bit of a mess, isn’t it?” Jack replied with a sigh. “At least tell me you’re happy about the babies – even a little. Earlier… it sounded like you weren’t sure you wanted them,” he whispered, his voice small and fearful.

“Of course I want them!” Ianto nearly shouted. “And I am happy about this; I’m just still in shock. I need some time to get my head around what this means for us – for all of us.” He took a deep breath and turned to face his partner. “Seriously, Will. What are we going to do with both of us out of the field and two babies? What happens to Tim, Petra, and Kara? They’re our responsibility, too.”

Jack wrapped his arms loosely around the assassin, relieved when he felt him relax in his embrace. “We’ll figure it out, together. We always do.” He pressed a kiss to his partner’s forehead in reassurance.

~

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The men had moved out of the shooting range to the main part of the Hub to start contingency planning while things were quiet. They knew Tim was lurking around somewhere, no doubt plotting how to get both of them into the medical bay for full work-ups and embarrassing questions. They put medical exams on their ever-growing list of things to address. They wanted to know that the babies were healthy. 

They looked up in surprise when the cog door rolled back and the lights began to flash; they had deactivated the shrieking alarms shortly after Dominic’s birth.

“Hi! I’m home!” a female voice called out, looking at the immortals with a smirk. 

Both Jack and Ianto stared in surprise, and watched as a young-looking blonde bounced up the stairs, her wavy hair tied back in a loose ponytail and dark sunglasses pushed to the top of her head.

Cali dropped her handbag on the nearest desk and looked around the Hub, trying to tell if anything obvious had changed. “Did you miss me?” she asked when her brown eyes finally landed on her grandparents.

“The lock on Myfanwy’s cage is on, right?” Ianto asked Jack, never taking his eyes from the woman in front of them.

Cali sighed and placed her hands on her hips. “I did that once!” she exclaimed. “And I was sixteen!” she added indignantly. “When are you going to cut me some slack?”

Jack pushed himself to his feet. “You let her out in broad daylight, Princess,” he reminded her. “Your Uncle Nick had to do some serious lying to get us out of that mess.”

“I was grounded for a month,” Cali pointed out. “And Dad made me clean out the Weevils’ cells. Any one would think that was punishment enough.” She looked over at Ianto and frowned deeply before glancing at Jack. Her Time Lord senses were telling her that Tim was right about both of them. “Well, aren’t either of you going to give me a hug?” she pouted.

Jack laughed and pulled his granddaughter into his arms, hugging her tightly. “Good to see you again, Princess,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against the top of her head; she was still a whole foot shorter than him.

“Come here you,” Ianto ordered, crossing the Hub as well and hugging her tightly. “You’ve been away too long,” he advised her, pulling away and looking at her intently.

Cali rolled her eyes and pulled her sunglasses from her head. “I’ve only been gone five years, Grandpa,” she said, placing the glasses in her bag. “It’s not the longest I’ve been away.” She grinned and turned to them, leaning back against the desk and folding her arms over her chest. “So, is there something either of you guys wants to tell me?”

Ianto frowned deeply before he realised the implication of her words. “Remind me to kill Tim,” he instructed Jack, knowing immediately how their granddaughter had found out about their current condition.

“Get in line,” the Captain sighed.

~

“Let me get this straight,” Cali said, twisting a strand of hair around her finger as she paced the small space of Ianto and Jack’s office. She’d sent Tim home, then joined her grandfathers in the office and demanded the full story. “There was an alien artefact that made you lose all inhibitions, thereby making you useless to your team for nearly two days, and you didn’t call me?”

Ianto winced and looked away. “We handled it,” he muttered darkly.

“Yeah, cos it’s really looks that way,” Cali scoffed, her native Welsh lilt showing through her recently acquired American accent – a side effect of working away for so long. 

Jack glared at her. “Don’t think you can come in here and lecture us, young lady,” he scolded, folding his arms across his chest.

Cali raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, but both of my grandparents are pregnant at the same time. I am more than entitled to lecture you. I could wait until Dad and Gwyn get here, and let them lecture you, if you preferred?” she offered with a smug smile on her face.

Slowly, Ianto turned back to look at her. “You… You didn’t tell them?” he growled.

“Of course I’ve told them,” she hissed through her teeth. “You only have a team of five people, Grandpa. With you two out of the field, your immortal back-ups have gone. You’ll need some extra manpower. At least with us here, you’ll both be able to work from the safety of the Hub and have three extra agents.”

“But, the three of you? Here? Working for Torchwood?” Jack whined, remembering years before. “The Hub barely survived last time,” he added with a pout.

Cali rolled her eyes. “That was an accident,” she argued. “Well, it was an accident on my part. Gwyn’s just an idiot.”

“I am not an idiot!” a male voice shouted from just outside the office, making Cali roll her eyes again.

“Yes, you are,” she retorted, turning to see her young brother entering the small space. “Where’s Dad?” she asked, looking over his shoulder through the open door to the main Hub.

“No idea. He didn’t answer his phone, so I had to leave a message. Talk about awkward.” Gwyn replied, shrugging off his coat and throwing it on the couch nearby. “He’ll be here soon, though. It’s not like he’d be able to resist the chance to gloat. You both really are pregnant,” he gasped, turning his attention to Jack and Ianto. His own Time Lord senses weren’t quite as acute as Cali’s, but there was no missing the pulse of new lives. 

Sheepishly the pair nodded their heads, feeling like children who were being scolded by their parents – the irony of the situation did not escape Ianto. 

“Fuck,” Gwyn swore, running a hand through his hair. “Things in here are going to get very tense over the next few months,” he informed his sister.

~

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Cali and Gwyn were out getting food when their father arrived. Felix took one look at Jack and Ianto before bursting out laughing, making them all jump. “Oh, God,” he wheezed, clutching his stomach as he doubled over with laughter. “Only you two could manage this.”

Ianto glared at Felix and muttered through his teeth to Jack, “How many regenerations does he have left?”

Jack laughed darkly and did a quick calculation in his head. “About ten, I think.”

“Oh good,” Ianto said, reaching for his gun. “He won’t miss one.”

The Captain rolled his eyes and placed his hand over Ianto’s before he could pick up the weapon. “You can’t shoot him,” he placated the assassin in his partner.

Ianto pouted and folded his arms across his chest petulantly. “Why not?” he muttered. “He was prettier last time, anyway.”

Felix sighed and waved his hand in the air. “You guys do know I’m still in the room, right?” he asked, still smirking a little. 

“Yes,” Ianto snarled. “The question is, why? Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see you, Cal, and Gwyn again, but we have work to do and…”

“Oh, give over,” Felix shook his head. “You’re both benched and you know it. I well remember how fast Nick made Rory come out of the field when he was pregnant. It might have been a long time, but I know Torchwood protocol.” 

He pointed at Jack. “And don’t even tell me that the scrawny doctor, the scary blonde, and that kid playing dress up can handle whatever comes up. I know they’re your team and I’m sure you’ve trained them well, but Tim called Cali for help. That should tell you something.”

“That we need a new, smarter medic?” Ianto suggested with a scowl. 

“You’ve got a backup medic at least in Gwyn,” Felix told the assassin, ignoring the sarcasm. “Cali can take on running field operations. She has a good head on her shoulders. I’ll handle the secure archives and do whatever else needs doing, including feeding the Weevils and Myfanwy. Gwyn can help. He did enough of that as punishment when he was a teenager; it should be second nature by now.”

“While we appreciate the offer, we can’t accept,” Jack said desperately, hoping to avoid the disaster that was sure to come of having all three Rymans in his Hub. “We can’t ask you, Cali, and Gwyn to interrupt your lives to solve a problem we created. We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

"Look, we're family,” Felix said simply, as if that ended the argument. “These babies are Rory's brothers or sisters, and Cali and Gwyn's aunts or uncles. They’re going to have plenty of people to love and take care of them before they’re even born. That starts with keeping their fathers safe so that they can be born healthy.” 

The emotion in his voice betrayed just how much he still cared about his late partner’s parents, even after all this time. “Rory would regenerate me twice if I let anything happen to either of you, or his new siblings.”

Ianto and Jack exchanged glances at the mention of their son’s name. “Okay,” the assassin said softly. “When you put it that way, how can we refuse?” 

Jack stuck out his hand. “Welcome back to Torchwood, Felix Ryman.”

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The following morning, Jack called a staff meeting the minute Kara, Petra, and Tim arrived. 

The women were surprised to see Cali, Gwyn, and Felix standing against the wall behind their Captain and his second. Seeing Cali’s brother and father made Tim cringe a bit; nothing like being in a room with four male relatives of your ex-girlfriend to start the morning off right.

It was Felix who engendered the most obvious reaction from the entire team. His third incarnation was heavily muscled and very imposing, with a variety of intricate tattoos; all of which Jack found amusing knowing what he did about the Time Lord’s personality. He considered the skin art might have been an attempt to annoy Felix’s grandfather, the Doctor, who didn’t like any form of body art.

Jack allowed himself to wonder what Rory would have thought about this version of his partner, but decided it would not have mattered. His younger son had been besotted with Felix Ryman from the moment they met and had remained that way until his death, despite Felix having regenerated once before Gwyn was born. 

No, physical characteristics had little to do with what his son felt for his partner, and Jack understood that completely.

“Okay then,” Jack clapped his hands together. “I know you’re all wondering what’s going on. You know that we’ve wanted to expand the team for a while,” he reminded them. “Yesterday, we got some news that made it imperative.” 

“Before I explain, let me introduce some people. You know our granddaughter, Cali Ryman. She hired you all and now recruits for us in America. She’s going to temporarily take charge of field operations. This is our grandson, Gwyn Ryman. Among other things, he’s a physician, so he’ll be helping out as in-house medic while Tim’s in the field.” 

“Finally, this is Felix Ryman, Cali and Gwyn’s father. He worked for Torchwood previously. He’ll assist in the field and with archiving. He’ll handle any potentially dangerous tech that Ianto would normally deal with.”

“So what will you and Ianto be doing?” Kara demanded. “If Cali is taking over field ops and Felix is doing the secure archiving, are you two leaving?” she asked, worry evident in her voice.

“Hardly,” Ianto snorted. “We’ll actually be in the Hub most of the time. Our medical clearances for fieldwork have been revoked. Jack will still make command decisions, and I will still perform most of the administrative functions. We just won’t be dealing with anything dangerous for the next few months - a little less than eight, to be exact.”

Petra’s eyes grew huge as she made the connection. “Both of you?” she said with a soft smile.

Ianto nodded. “Trust me; it was a huge surprise for us as well. I think Tim briefly considered Retcon.”

“I did,” Tim assured him. “Very seriously. Then I did the logical thing. I called Cali and went home to get drunk.”

“Ah yes, calling Cali,” Jack smiled at the medic but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll talk about that later.”

As Tim squirmed in his chair, Kara looked confused. “I feel like I’m missing something. Why eight months? I don’t get it.”

As Ianto rolled his eyes and Petra muttered something unflattering under her breath, Jack looked at the young Englishwoman. “You know from your training that Ianto and I are not from this time and that we can – and have – carried children. Cali and Gwyn’s Papa was our son, Rory. Well, we didn’t exactly plan it, but we’re going to be parents again.”

“But that’s wonderful,” Kara gushed. “Which one of you? When? Is it a boy or a girl?”

Ianto sighed and reminded himself he could not shoot or Retcon a team member right now; it would create too much paperwork. “We’re not sure about the sexes yet, in about another thirty-four weeks, and it’s not one – it’s both of us. That’s why we needed to call in extra support.”

“Both?” Kara squealed. “But . . . I mean doesn’t one of you generally … you know …”

“Actually we’re rather flexible,” Jack retorted, enjoying the girl’s blush and the scolding looks from his family and the rest of the team. 

Ianto shot Jack a glare before continuing. “As we said, it wasn’t planned and having both of us out of the field and on limited duty isn’t ideal, but we have help and we’ll figure it out.”

“It seems rather complicated for all of us,” Kara said airily. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just have one of them? I mean you don’t have to have both, right?”

There was dead silence around the conference room. 

Felix, knowing how the Harkness-Jones men felt about terminating a pregnancy due to Jack’s experience as a young man, braced himself for the inevitable explosion, but both immortals just appeared stunned. Gwyn, Tim, and Petra all gaped at Kara; they were unable to believe they had heard what they thought they had heard.

It was Cali who reacted. Stalking from her position against the wall, she moved in front of Kara. Placing both hands on the table, she leant in so that her face was right in front of the younger woman’s. 

“Do you remotely think before you speak? You just suggested that one of my grandfathers kill their unborn son or daughter for convenience sake, so your life is less complicated. If I ever hear anything like that come out of your mouth again, you’ll be lucky if all I do is Retcon you back to nappies, you stupid cow.”

“Or, I might just kill you instead,” Cali continued. “Those babies are family and from this moment on, they are Torchwood’s number one priority. Do I make myself clear?”

Felix moved forward, placing his hands on his daughter’s shoulders and pulling her back a little before she could kill Kara. “Shh, girl,” he murmured, smoothing her hair down as she stepped back.

Kara had gone almost white at the menace in Cali’s voice. “Yes, ma’am,” she whispered. As Felix pulled Cali back, Kara jumped up and fled the room, tears shining in her eyes.

“Okay,” Jack sighed. “Tim has full-work ups to do on Ianto and I. If you’ll set up, we’ll meet you in the medical area.” As the medic left, Jack turned to his technician. “Petra, will you show Cali, Gwyn and Felix the computer system? We’ve updated some things since they were here last. Their user names are the same as they always have been, but make sure they still have full access, just in case.”

“Of course,” Petra gestured to the others to follow her.

Once they were alone, Jack slumped into his chair and let his head drop forward on to the table. 

“Well, that went well,” Ianto sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Remind me again why I can’t shoot Kara?” he begged.

“When I remember, I’ll let you know,” Jack said, shaking his head.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

While he waited for Tim to call them into the medical bay, Jack was sitting at his desk pretending to complete some paperwork. 

His brain was still going a million miles an hour, turning over the events of the past day and the knowledge that he and Ianto would soon be parents again to not one but two infants. It had been almost a century since they’d last had a baby in their lives that was their own. Despite all the upheaval it was causing, Jack was extremely happy at the thought. He just wished he could be sure Ianto really felt the same way.

A knock on his office door caught his attention. He looked up to see Felix standing there. “May I come in?” he asked softly.

“Now I know you’ve been gone too long,” Jack said with a shake of his head. “No one knocks around here.”

Felix shook his head. “I learnt a long time ago that if I didn’t want to have to poke out my eyes on a regular basis, I needed to knock around you and Ianto. Rory swore he needed therapy just from growing up around you two.”

“He might have, but not because of that,” Jack laughed. “I can’t imagine growing up with two immortal fathers who fight aliens was easy in any way, shape, or form. I also can’t believe we’re bringing two more children into that world. Are we nuts?” 

“Yes, but not because you want more children,” Felix quipped with a smirk. “Rory would be the first to tell you that, despite everything, he had a great childhood.” 

Felix sat down in the chair across the desk from Jack. “He knew you and Ianto – and hell everyone in Torchwood – loved him. Gwen gave her life for him. He knew he was wanted and adored from the moment he was born. Not everyone can say that,” the Time Lord said, thinking of his own childhood.

“I know the timing and the circumstances are disrupting a lot of lives – yours included – but I’m happy about this,” Jack admitted. “I just wish I was sure Ianto felt the same way.”

“Has he said otherwise?” Felix asked the Captain with a pointed look.

“He says he’s happy, just shocked,” Jack admitted. “But whenever I’ve mentioned thinking about a baby over the past few years, he’s changed the subject. Losing Rory, then Nick, hit him hard. I’m just not sure he’s ready to be a parent again – knowing that no matter what we do to keep our children safe, someday we will lose them.”

“I know Ianto as well as I know you, Jack,” Felix reminded him. “You two were born to be parents. He’s had a shock. We know he likes order and planning. Give him a little while to adjust to the idea, and he’ll be just as excited as you are - if not more.”

“You think so?” Jack didn’t look convinced.

Felix decided that sometimes confession was good for the soul. “Did Rory ever tell you how I reacted when he told me he was carrying Cali?” 

“No,” Jack quirked a small grin. “Should he have?”

“I think he was worried either you or Ianto would regenerate me,” Felix admitted. “I was terrified, out of my element, and nowhere near ready to be a father. I didn’t even know he could get pregnant. I told him to do what he wanted, but I wasn’t part of it. Then I walked out. I came to my senses a few hours later and came back, but it took me a long time to convince him I really did want our child.”

“I can imagine,” Jack replied harshly. “For the record, had you not come back, we would have hunted you down. Ianto’s got better aim. I would simply have been the one reloading his gun, not taking the shots.”

“The point is, I did come back,” Felix reminded him. “But that didn’t stop me from making an arse of myself all over again when he told me about Gwyn. After Cali, I was so scared for him. I suggested – well, he thought I suggested - that he not have the baby.”

“What?” Jack roared, starting to stand.

“Stand down, Captain,” Felix soothed, used to Jack’s tantrums. “We resolved it a long time ago, and I wouldn’t trade Gwyn for anything. You know that. My point is that whether it’s your first child or your fiftieth, finding out you’re going to be a parent again is terrifying. It’s a whole new life completely dependent on you.” 

Leaning forward, Felix captured Jack’s gaze with his own. “I know how protective I was of Rory when he was carrying Cali and Gwyn. Given who and what Ianto is, his instincts are to take care of you when you’re pregnant; just like yours are to take care of him. But, he knows he’s going to be limited in his ability to do that this time, because he also has another life depending on him. Let him work through all that. You know he will.”

“How did you get to know us so well?” Jack wondered as he realised the Time Lord was right. 

Felix gave the Captain a sad smile. “I had a good teacher,” he whispered.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Tim summoned the men into the medical bay. He started their exams with full-scale physicals and blood work. Jack did his best not to snicker as Ianto turned his head from the needle and buried his face against the Captain’s arm. “Twice in two days is just not fair,” he moaned.

“Oh, buck up,” Tim told him. “You’re pregnant. I’m going to be drawing blood at least weekly for the next eight months. Get used to it.”

“Protocol is to disarm him before he comes in for a check-up,” Jack reminded the medic. “I’ll do that since he won’t shoot me in my current condition. You on the other hand are fair game – especially considering we have three Rymans out in the Hub because your idea of doctor-patient confidentiality is to call your ex-girlfriend.”

“While we’re on that subject,” Ianto added, “you do not want to know what I’m like when I’m hormonal and pissed. Hands off my granddaughter.”

Tim was about to tell the men that Cali could make her own choices when the machines processing their blood work beeped at him. “Okay, most of the readings are the same as your last physical, which isn’t surprising since they never change. The only differences are in HGC, testosterone, oestrogen, and progesterone. The levels indicate about six weeks gestation, which is what I figured, given when you conceived.”

“How did you figure that out, anyway?” Jack glared at the medic. “Cali knew when she got there. I know I didn’t tell you what I suspected.”

“I sure as hell didn’t say anything,” Ianto assured his partner.

“Hello? Alien sex device, non-stop shagging for twenty-four hours, followed by not one, but two pregnant bosses?” Tim shook his head. “Do I look stupid? It really didn’t take a genius to work it out, especially with both of you acting so secretive. Can we get back to this exam?”

Jack and Ianto both managed to look chagrined. “Sorry,” Jack said as Ianto muttered something unintelligible; he rarely did apologies.

“Okay, so the hormones say six weeks; though the scan will tell us for sure. Ianto’s testosterone is a bit higher than Jack’s, but its within acceptable parameters for what our records say is normal based on the past male pregnancies Torchwood has dealt with.” 

Tim consulted his data pad. “All vital signs are stable, though Ianto’s blood pressure is up a bit from his last visit, but it’s not high enough to cause any concern.”

“You try keeping your blood pressure down when both you and your partner are pregnant, and your family invades the Hub,” Ianto retorted.

“As I said,” Tim continued calmly, “nothing to worry about. But, given your family history and the blood pressure issues that you had near the end of your last pregnancy, we’re going to watch it. Now, before we do the scan I want to run through some things. First, your field clearance is revoked, but you knew that.” 

“Second, no alcohol and certainly no caffeine. Most doctors think a little caffeine is fine during pregnancy these days, but in male pregnancy with the potential for complications like high blood pressure, I think I’m going to stick with the protocol past medics established and say none.”

“Not a problem,” Jack grimaced.

“Speak for yourself.” Ianto shook his head then looked at Tim. “The Captain here goes off two things during pregnancy. Coffee for the duration – he hates the taste – and sex for the last three months. He might as well be a monk.”

“Wait,” Tim looked in the file. “Why isn’t that in here? Captain Jack Harkness goes off sex and no one documented it?”

“Executive privilege,” Jack muttered. “I have a reputation to protect.”

“Now who’s vain,” Ianto snarled. “It’s probably also not documented that I continue to crave coffee and my sex drive is unaffected.” 

“Ha!” Jack laughed, sounding annoyed. “Try tripled. He can’t get enough from now until delivery.”

“That’s going to prove interesting,” Tim muttered. “And also falls under the category of way too much information.”

“You’re a doctor!” Ianto pointed out. “You know how it works.”

“Does not mean I have to visualise it,” Tim reminded him. “Okay, no caffeine, no alcohol, rest as needed – which means more than once a week – and a balanced diet. Takeaway is not the solution for every meal.” 

“Unless we encounter problems for the first six months, we’ll do check-ups once every two weeks. The last three months, we’ll move to once a week then every day for the last week. Now that the embarrassing questions are out of the way, I’d like to have Gwyn in here for exams starting with your next ones. That way he can back me up. Agreed?” 

When both men nodded, Tim concluded, “Unless you make it impossible, I’ll keep doing these together because it’s important that you support each other. If you start acting like brats or upsetting each other, I’ll banish you from each other’s exams.”

“Who is the Captain here?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“In this room until you deliver, you are not my Captain and Ianto is not your second,” Tim stated unequivocally. “You are my patients and, for the good of you and those babies, I am in charge. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” Ianto said, then pinched Jack’s arm.

“Ouch!” the older immortal cried. “Yes,” he said grudgingly, rubbing the sore spot on his arm and glaring at Ianto.

“Okay, our last item is a full scan.” He indicated a device both Jack and Ianto recognised. “This hasn’t been used for obstetrical exams since Gwyn was born, but I’ve checked it out fully. It can give us everything we need on the babies from heart rate to size and weight. It’s simple enough that we’ll do a scan at each check-up.”

“Sounds good,” Jack said, grinning at the idea of seeing the babies grow visit to visit. Next to him, Ianto said nothing but merely nodded.

“One last thing,” Tim noted. “It’s been modified. While normal NHS scanners today can show gender as early as twelve weeks, this one can show us now if you want.”

“I think we should,” Ianto said, looking at Jack.

“Are you sure you want to find out?” his partner asked with hesitation in his voice as he ran his hand over his stomach. “We didn’t with Nick; we didn’t need to with Rory. I liked not knowing until Nick was born and we met him for the first time.”

Ianto smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of his partner’s hand. “I know. But with Dominic and Rory, we only had one baby at a time. Now we’ll have two babies inside of Torchwood. We can’t afford any more surprises right now. I think it would be best if we knew.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed. “Let’s find out if we’re having boys, girls, or one of each.”

“You know,” Tim grinned evilly, “until we do the scan we can’t be sure one or both of you is not carrying twins or triplets even.”

“Do you have a death wish?” Ianto demanded, glaring at the medic and making him squirm.

“Okay,” Tim sputtered. “Who’s first?”

“Ianto,” Jack suggested. “I… Ianto.”

The assassin looked at him quizzically. “Why?”

“I can feel the baby I’m carrying. I know it’s there. I want to see the one inside you,” he whispered. “Indulge me?”

“That file should also note that Jack is soppy as hell when he’s pregnant,” Ianto said, but he smiled indulgently and hopped up on the exam table, loosening trousers and shirt to expose his bare abdomen. 

“This will be cold,” Tim warned the immortal, nodding to the bottle of gel in his hand.

Ianto gritted his teeth and nodded. “It always is,” he scowled as Jack moved next to him and took his hand. “Just get on with it,” he added, hissing when the medic did as instructed and squirted the cold gel onto his stomach. “Fuck,” he swore. “Where have you been keeping that, the freezer?”

“Yep,” Tim said as he moved the device around on Ianto’s stomach. “Just for you. Bloody hell!”

“What?” Jack asked in concern.

“It’s a baby,” Tim blathered. “I mean, we’ve been talking about it for the past day, but it’s really a baby.” The medic just stared at the screen, mesmerised.

“Gets them every time,” Ianto said with a shake of his head, remembering Owen and Martha.

“Some worse than others,” Jack reminded him. “Once you’re done having a wobbly, Tim, could we hear the heartbeat?” He could see the pulsing organ on the screen, but it was always a thrill to hear the rapid thumping.

“What?” Tim stammered. “Oh, of course.” He turned up the speaker. “There it is. The beat is normal and all measurements are fine for six weeks. Your son is perfectly healthy.”

“A boy?” Jack grinned at Ianto. “We’re having a boy.”

“Yeah,” Ianto whispered, eyes riveted to the image in front of him as Jack kissed him.

After cleaning the gel off his stomach, Ianto jumped down off the exam table and straightened his clothes while Jack took his place. He also winced at the cold gel, but did not kick up the fuss Ianto had. The assassin had moved to stand behind Jack’s head and was clasping his hand.

“You know,” Tim said thoughtfully. “You two are built a little differently. Ianto’s uterus is closer to his upper abdomen, whereas Jack’s is positioned lower. It might partially account for why Ianto has more nausea during pregnancy. It’s both the hormones, which usually cause the issue and the pressure from the baby. I’ll have to compare it to the scans from your older sons to see if all males are different or if it’s just an abnormality in one of you.”

“You’ll just have scans from Rory,” Jack told him. “Nick preferred women. He fathered one daughter, but he was never pregnant.”

“No,” Tim said vaguely as he continued to scan Jack. “He let the medic run some scans on him after Rory died. He said it would help Torchwood build data on male pregnancies, should you two decide to have more children in the future.”

“Oh,” Ianto said with a catch in his voice. He felt Jack squeeze his hand and looked at him, smiling gently. That was their Nicky. 

A moment later, a steady beat distracted them. “There you go,” Tim said. “Everything reads as normal.”

“And?” Jack demanded, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“They can share clothes,” Tim told them. “It’s another boy.”

Jack blinked back tears as he looked up at Ianto. “Strangest twins in history,” he said to his partner.

“They’ll fit right in with Torchwood,” Ianto assured him, glancing again at the image then kissing Jack deeply.

~

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After the exams were done and the team had been told the results – including that the babies were both boys, Tim, backed up by Cali, Felix, Petra, and an obviously ashamed Kara, sent the men home. 

“You’ve been going non-stop for weeks, you were here all night last night, and you’re pregnant,” the medic said. “You need rest. You have people here who can handle this now. Go home and get some sleep. We’ll watch the Rift tonight, and tomorrow we can get down to the fine details of job descriptions and duty rotas.”

Jack looked like he wanted to argue and so did Ianto, but nearly identical evil looks from Cali and Petra silenced them. “We are prepared to escort you,” the technician said, her hand on the butt of her gun.

“Very few people can get away with using a gun to intimidate me,” Ianto reminded her.

“I happen to be one of them,” Petra retorted, not backing down in the least.

Finally, the immortals gave in. Before they left, they took Kara aside. She’d looked like a lost little girl since her thoughtless comments in the meeting.

“Kara,” Jack said. “About earlier…” He stopped and looked helplessly at Ianto when the young woman flung herself into his arms and began to cry. “Kara…” he soothed. “Shh… easy.”

Kara drew back in horror. “I didn’t hurt you or it - I mean him - did I?”

Jack laughed and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “No,” he assured her. “We’re both fine.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kara whispered, looking between the men. “I didn’t mean what I said. I’m not sure why it came out the way it did. Torchwood is the only home I have. It’s the only place I’ve ever been accepted. Don’t make me leave. Please.”

“Kara,” Ianto spoke sharply to cut through her growing hysteria. “We’re not going to make you leave. It’s okay. Please calm down.” He took her hand as she clung to Jack. “We know you didn’t mean what you said, and we know you’ll love these babies as much as everyone else.”

“I will!” Kara assured them. “Petra suggested earlier that maybe I should take some childcare classes and basic infant first aid. She said since I work out of the Hub, I’ll be responsible for them most of the time.”

Ianto and Jack exchanged looks, and then nodded. It was actually a good idea. They’d had Tish Jones as a nanny when Dominic and Rory were young. They would need one for these babies, and Kara related very well to children because they didn’t judge her. Jack often thought it was because Kara saw the world like a child – in black and white. 

“I think that’s a great plan,” the Captain told her. “Tell Petra to get it set up.” He knew the tech would make sure Kara took the classes someplace she would be safe.

Once Kara was settled, the men went home. On the drive, Jack noticed Ianto looked a little pale. “You okay?” he asked, reaching for the assassin’s hand. 

“Your son is making me queasy,” Ianto grimaced. “If I throw up, he’s grounded.”

Jack laughed, knowing Ianto was not really blaming the baby. “Have you eaten today?” he questioned.

“I had some dry toast this morning,” he told the Captain. “Cali made me.”

“Oh, this is going to be a long eight months,” Jack sighed, imagining all the mothering they were going to get from their family and the team – even if Petra’s would come at gunpoint. “Look, it’s past lunch time. Let me drop you at the house. You go get comfortable and stretch out on the sofa. I’m going to the deli around the corner to get some of that chicken soup we like. It’ll do us both some good.”

“Will,” Ianto warned. “You can’t spend the next eight months taking care of me. You’re pregnant, too. You need some rest just like I do.”

“That’s why we’ll take care of each other,” Jack told him, thinking about what Felix had said. “As soon as I get back with the soup, we’ll eat and both get a nap. Then, I might be charmed into a James Bond film.”

“I should say no,” Ianto sighed.

“Why?” Jack wondered. Normally, Ianto loved James Bond, even if he did tend to criticise the spy’s technique. 

“Because Bond always leads to sex and sex is why we’re in this mess,” Ianto retorted.

“Well,” Jack grinned, “it’s not like I can get you pregnant again. Besides, if I hold true to form in another four or five months, I’ll go off sex completely until after I deliver.”

“Oh, you had to remind me about that, didn’t you?” Ianto moaned, letting his head fall back against the seat of the car. 

“I know it’s not pleasant for you,” Jack sighed, “but it’s not that bad.”

Ianto just glared. “In case you’ve forgotten, Will, I’m like a heat seeking missile when I’m carrying your demon spawn. We had sex less than twelve hours before I had Dominic.”

“Oh,” Jack whispered, remembering how unappealing he did tend to find sex his last three months compared to how horny Ianto was. “Erm … well, there’s always wanking …it’s just three months.”

Ianto was glad that killing Jack was out of the question at the moment, because car upholstery was a bitch to clean. “Think again, Will Kanaris. You did this to me. I am not spending the last three months of this pregnancy celibate like I did when you carried Rory – not with hormones raging through me. I will go slowly insane if I do that, and I will take you with me. I’ll tone it down, but there are just going to be some days you are going to have to lie back and think of Torchwood.”

“Lovely,” Jack snarled, then began to laugh hysterically.

“What is so funny?” Ianto demanded.

“Lying back might be a problem,” Jack mused. “Can you imagine the logistics when we’re both seven or eight months gone?”

“Oh, bloody fucking hell,” Ianto muttered, and then glared at Jack. “We will make it work. I promise – it may be complicated – but we will. It’s not something we have to worry about tonight. Tonight it works the same way it normally does.”

“Might as well enjoy it while we can,” Jack quipped. “Because if memory serves, neither of us is small when we’re carrying. So, we’ll just have to make the most of now - early pregnancy horniness and logistically possible.”

“Yes, because after this, immortal or not, we are seriously investigating whether vasectomies will work,” Ianto told him, and then started laughing uncontrollably at the look of horrified panic on Jack’s face.

 

~

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After dropping Ianto off, Jack drove the short distance to the deli. He probably could have walked, but he really was feeling the fatigue of early pregnancy. 

He couldn’t help but smile at how the symptoms manifested differently in him and Ianto. Ianto had pregnancy sickness, dizziness, and loss of appetite. Jack suffered from fatigue, his taste buds changed, and he was crankier than normal. The only things they shared for the first several months were the heat emanating from their abdomens and an increased sex drive.

While the woman at the deli prepared two large orders of soup, Jack shopped for some other essentials at the small market next door. He knew they had little food in the house because they were seldom home. That would have to change. They needed to get back on a regular schedule, start resting more, and eat healthier. Constant takeaway was not a good diet for pregnancy.

It was nearly an hour later before Jack made it home. “Ianto,” he called as he entered the house. “I told that sweet woman at the shop that you weren’t feeling well. She gave us extra noodles and strained the carrots out of the soup for you.” He knew his partner hated carrots and would pick every little piece out of any dish. 

“I think she may have put her number in the bag,” he added, noticing that the house was strangely quiet. “She might fancy a threesome – or is that a five-some, right now?”

Jack stopped just inside the lounge and smiled fondly. Ianto was stretched out on the sofa wearing tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt. A couple of photo albums lay open across his chest and next to him on the table. He was sound asleep and looked so adorable that Jack barely refrained from going over and kissing him, but knew he wouldn’t have been sleeping well due to the nausea from the pregnancy. He wanted him to rest as much as he could. It was actually a mark of how exhausted the assassin was that he had slept through someone, even Jack, entering the house. 

Moving quietly, Jack went into the kitchen. He put away the few items he had purchased, noting with pride that most of them were healthy; though he had gotten some Jaffa cakes he had been craving. Noting that the soup was still warm, he poured it into two bowls, before setting the rest to the side; when it was cool he would put it in the fridge and they could have it later. 

Finally, he placed some crackers, cheese and milk on the tray. He knew Ianto would make a face at the latter, but he thought the Jaffa cake he’d included for each of them might help bribe the assassin.

He returned to the lounge and sat the tray on the table. Kneeling beside the sofa, he brushed a kiss to Ianto’s forehead. “Hey, sleepyhead,” Jack whispered. “Wake up.”

Ianto blinked as woke. He tensed just briefly, then recognised Jack’s voice and knew where he was. “Hey.” He sat up slowly to mitigate the dizziness he knew would come. Once the room stopped spinning, he smiled at Jack. “How long was I asleep?” he asked.

“A little over an hour,” Jack told him. “I brought back lunch and picked up some food. We really need to make sure we keep some in the house from now.”

“Yeah,” Ianto admitted, looking at the tray. “That does look good,” he confessed, feeling his stomach rumble a little. “Well, if you ignore the milk.” 

“Drink it and you get that Jaffa cake,” Jack told him pointedly.

“Sold,” Ianto replied. He picked up the bowl of soup and smiled at the lack of carrots. “No floating orange slime. Joan picked them out for me,” he observed.

Jack sat down beside him and picked up his own bowl. “How did you know?” 

“She always does,” Ianto smirked. “I ran off an ex-boyfriend that was giving her trouble.”

“Ran off how?” Jack looked at him suspiciously.

“I might have suggested I knew multiple untraceable ways to kill him,” Ianto admitted as he started to eat his soup. “Oh, this is good. I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

Jack made a grunt of noncommittal surprise, before gesturing to the albums that were still scattered around the couch. “So, what’s this about?”

Ianto looked down at his hands. “I guess with seeing the scans today and having Cali, Gwyn, and Felix around, I couldn’t help but think about Dominic and Rory. I . . . I wanted to see if I . . .” he stopped with a shake of his head.

“If you… what?” Jack asked, hearing a note in his partner’s voice. “Ianto, talk to me.”

“I was afraid that I wouldn’t remember what they looked like when they were babies, or what they smelt like,” Ianto admitted. “I was afraid I’d forgotten everything about them that made them who they were, and if I couldn’t remember, how could I ever tell these babies about their big brothers? I do though; I remember everything about them.”

“Oh, Ianto,” Jack sighed. “Do you remember what happened to me after Gray? When I got back, I couldn’t remember what Nicky looked like or how he smelt.”

“I remember,” Ianto said in a choked voice, vividly recalling Jack seeing their son again for the first time after being buried for two thousand years, and how he’d seemed intent on memorising every detail.

“After that, I was sure that when we did lose them that I’d forget,” Jack admitted, “but it didn’t happen. I think – no, I know – that because we share those memories they’re part of who we are. Between the two of us, Cali, Gwyn, and Felix, we have plenty of memories of Nick and Rory to share with these babies. I promise we do, just like I was able to share what little memory I had of Megan with Rory and Nick.”

Ianto couldn’t meet Jack’s eyes. “After we lost them, part of me wanted to forget - so I did. I let the details blur. I know that sounds terrible and I hate myself for it, but I didn’t want to remember the little things. It hurt too much. I didn’t think it would ever stop. It still hurts.”

“Is that why you’ve changed the subject every time I’ve tried to suggest having a baby over the past few years?” Jack asked softly, warring between pain for his partner and anger that Ianto hadn’t confided in him.

“Yes and no,” the assassin admitted. “Part of me wasn’t sure I ever wanted to go through that pain again, and then another part felt it was a betrayal of our sons – that having more children would be replacing them.”

“No,” Jack whispered, pulling Ianto to him. “No, it won’t. Just like Nick and Rory didn’t replace Megan. You heard what Tim said today. Nick let himself be tested and scanned, because he knew someday we would have other children. He wanted to do what he could to make sure they were born healthy.”

“That’s so Dominic,” Ianto grinned. “I remember how protective he was when Rory was carrying Cali and Gwyn. I know we’re not forgetting them, but…”

“No buts,” Jack insisted. “It’s like our teams. Martha didn’t replace Owen; Petra doesn’t replace Tosh. All of them are separate, unique people, just like each of our children are, or will be. It’s taken me a long time to accept that; but I do know that each person who touches us enriches us. I wouldn’t trade knowing or loving any of them – especially our children. I’m ecstatic to be having a family with you again, as odd as this is. I just want you to be as happy as I am.”

“I’ve been afraid to be,” Ianto admitted. “Because I know how this ends. At some point, I know we will bury these babies, the way we buried Rory and Dominic. But you’re right, the alternative is to never know them at all, and that’s not an option. I already love them too much.”

“So, we’re having the oddest twins in human history,” Jack whispered, resting his hand on Ianto’s stomach. “And that’s a good thing, right?”

Ianto placed his hand on Jack’s stomach in a mirror action of his partner’s. “That’s a wonderful thing, Will. A wonderful, beautiful thing.”

 

~

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After eating their late lunch, Ianto quickly cleaned up while Jack changed clothes, discarding his normal period wear for his own tracksuit bottoms and T-shirt. 

For the rest of the afternoon and evening, they curled together on the sofa, alternately watching movies and napping. Their hands would periodically drift to each other’s stomachs as the reality slowly sank in that it was real – they had created two new lives together. 

Since Jack had arranged lunch, Ianto pulled together a light, but healthy dinner that they ate watching the latest Bond film. By midway, they had abandoned the movie in favour of kissing and exploring each other’s bodies. 

Ianto broke the kiss and looked at his partner. “Here or the bedroom?” he asked. 

“Bedroom,” Jack replied breathlessly. “Easier to collapse and sleep afterwards.”

“Worried I’m going to exhaust you, Will?” Ianto teased as he pulled the Captain to his feet.

“More like hoping,” Jack replied, cupping the assassin’s firm arse and grinding their groins together.

Together, they stumbled to the bedroom, before stripping each other and collapsing on the bed as they kissed deeply. Their hands, lips, tongues, and teeth explored every inch of exposed skin, leaving moist trails and love bites. 

Eventually, Jack found himself straddling Ianto’s hips as they kissed again. He felt Ianto moving under him, and then a small tube was pressed into his hand. 

“I’m taking you, I guess,” Jack said, trying not to sound too needy. He’d wanted Ianto inside of him, but after the emotional swings the assassin had been through over the past twenty-four hours, he was willing to do anything to make him happy.

“Actually, I know that look in your eye, Will Kanaris,” Ianto panted. “You want to feel me in you. Get yourself ready then ride me.”

“Oh yeah,” Jack gasped. He squirted some lube on his fingers then tossed the tube aside. Rocking his hips back and forth so that their erections rubbed against each other, he slid one finger inside himself, loosening the muscle and relaxing his body.

Ianto moved his hands to Jack’s hips, urging him to move faster as he tossed his head back and sighed in pleasure. He set a rhythm designed to heighten arousal but not to allow either of them to come.

“Watch me, Ianto,” Jack ordered, locking eyes with the assassin as he worked a second finger into his body, continuing to prepare himself.

Moving one hand from Jack’s hip, Ianto pumped himself gently, coating his fingers and palm with pre-come. Reaching up, he rubbed his hand along the hot, sensitive skin of Jack’s stomach in a primal act of possession and marking.

Groaning in pleasure from the erotic gesture, Jack slid his fingers from his body. Placing Ianto’s hand back on his hip, he coated the assassin’s cock with the remaining lube before positioning himself above the turgid shaft and thrusting downward with a sharp cry. He went completely still as they both adjusted to the coupling, and then began to rise and fall steadily on Ianto’s cock.

“God, Will,” Ianto cried out beneath him. “Faster, damn you.”

Jack increased his pace as he impaled himself again and again. His breathing was coming in sharp gasps as he felt himself spiralling closer and closer to orgasm. “So good,” he moaned. “Always so good.”

Ianto was watching him avidly, loving the way Jack’s body moved above him and his shaft disappeared inside the Captain. The look of abandon and ecstasy on his partner’s face made him seem so much younger than he was. He wanted to see the intense pleasure Jack always exhibited when he had an orgasm. “Come for me, Will,” he whispered. “Fuck yourself on my cock and come for me.”

“Ianto,” Jack shouted as he began to pump his own erection, knowing he was close. He moved his hand faster and faster until he was fisting himself violently. With a cry, he felt his balls contract and his cock swell as he released ropes of semen across his hand and over Ianto’s torso.

Beneath him, Ianto let the sight and sensations of Jack’s orgasm overwhelm him. As the Captain’s arse contracted around him, he stilled Jack’s motion by gripping his hips and shot his release into him; coming in blistering waves until they were both empty and sated. 

Slowly, Jack let Ianto slip from his body and lay down next to him. As he kissed the assassin, he trailed his fingers through the mess on his skin and rubbed it into his flesh, marking and claiming Ianto the way the younger man had done to him earlier. 

From the nightstand, Jack produced a packet of wet wipes and cleaned them both up. He drew the duvet up over them and they slept soundly for the rest of the night, holding each other in their sleep.

~

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“Explain to me again why I can’t kill or Retcon her?” Cali demanded as she flounced into her grandfathers’ office and flung herself down in a chair. 

In the nearly four months since her return, she’d gotten used to finding Jack and Ianto working together in a way she’d never seen before. It gave her confidence to be able to run up to the office and consult with both of them on important matters or, like today, just to complain.

Jack was seated behind his desk, looking over incident reports while Ianto was ensconced on the sofa filling out expense forms for Jack’s signature. He’d been feeling dizzy earlier in the day, so he was trying to rest. If it continued, he knew he’d have to tell Tim and his partner.

“I assume you mean Kara?” Jack asked, knowing how much the young woman irritated their granddaughter. When Cali nodded, he shrugged. “I suppose because technically terminating the staff is my job?” he suggested.

“That’s not really an answer,” Cali responded with a scowl as she leant forward. “Seriously, Granddad. What’s the story with Kara? You had me recruit her without telling me why. When I said she wasn’t suitable for this job, you overruled me. You’ve never done that. Ever. Five years later and she’s still here. But I don’t see that she’s gotten any better at the job, or relating to people. Why do you put up with her?”

Jack exchanged a glance with Ianto, who nodded. Reaching into his desk drawer, the Captain pulled out a tin that Cali knew contained photos. He handed one to her. “Recognise them?”

“I should,” Cali whispered. “I grew up hearing how Owen Harper and Toshiko Sato saved the world, and how Gwen Cooper saved Papa’s life. But what do they have to do with Kara?”

“Not ‘they’,” Ianto corrected, standing with some difficulty now that he was showing. Moving over to lean against Jack’s desk, he took the photo from Cali. “Owen,” he said with a smile. “First Twenty-First Century doctor to deal with a male pregnancy. Right git, too, most of the time, but a brilliant physician and a good friend.” 

Jack nodded. “He was that.” He looked down into the Hub where Kara sat. “Several years after Owen died, we found out he had a daughter. He never knew. It was a one-night stand just a few months before he was shot at the Pharm. When his daughter, Janey, was seven, she ended up in the A&E with suspicious injuries. It turned out her mother was an addict and was dating an alien – the latest in a long line of bad relationships.” 

Jack shook his head at the memory. “When our medic ran Janey’s DNA to make sure she wasn’t half-alien, it matched Owen’s. After we got over the shock, there was no way in hell we were letting his daughter grow up like that. We arranged for her to be taken into care, found a good home for her, and paid her way through Uni.” 

“She never knew it was us, until she was older. We arranged to meet her when she was an adult; we just told her we were friends of her father’s and that he’d died before she was born. But he’d wanted us to find her and take care of her for him.”

“Owen wouldn’t have wanted Torchwood to touch her, so we kept her away from it. We never told her or her family anything about it.” Ianto added. “It was right for him, but he wouldn’t have wanted that for his child. She eventually married and had kids of her own. Taking care of her family just became habit. Tosh and Gwen never had children. Once we lost Rhys before you were even born, Janey’s family was our last link to them.”

“So Kara…?” Cali pressed.

“Owen’s great-granddaughter,” Jack replied. “There’s something not quite right about her from birth, though it was never properly diagnosed. We tried to help her parents get treatment for her, but no one could figure out what was wrong. We watched her struggle all through school. She was always an outcast and in trouble. She’s got a good heart, but she just never fit in. When she flunked out of College, we made sure she got a decent job, but she lost one after another and was heading for the streets. We couldn’t let that happen.”

“We knew that the only way to really keep her safe was to bring her here where we could watch her,” Ianto concluded. “She’s not field trained and she never will be. We minimise the damage she can do. She has her strengths – attention to detail in filing and paper work, ability to develop simple but extensive search programs, and other highly organised tasks. She may frustrate all of us at times, but we’ll always make sure she’s taken care of, for Owen’s sake.”

“She’s family,” Cali said simply. 

“She’s family,” Jack agreed with a nod of his head, smiling at his granddaughter with pride.

~

TBC


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

As the weeks went by, Cali found herself growing increasingly frustrated by one member of the team in particular. She knew and understood Tim as well as anyone, possibly better than most; they’d been lovers for some time before she left Cardiff five years ago. 

After her conversation with Jack and Ianto, she felt herself reach a resolution regarding Kara. She treated the girl like a little sister, and was actually more patient with her than she was with Gwyn at times.

It was Petra who continued to confound her. The slender blonde was a wonderful technician and brilliant in the field. Her aim was almost as deadly as Jack or Ianto’s - almost. She took orders well, used common sense, and did things without being told. But every attempt Felix, Cali, and Gwyn had made to get to know her personally had been rebuffed. Kara knew very little about her, and if Tim did, he wasn’t talking. 

The one person Petra seemed at ease with was Ianto. Cali often found the assassin and the tech in the firing range, testing new weapons. They almost seemed too close. 

Cali had voiced her concerns to her father, who had just laughed. “Your Grandpa would never cheat on your Granddad; even if they weren’t both nearly five months pregnant. Ianto and Petra are kindred spirits; that’s all. The rest is their business.”

Jack and Ianto were nearing the end of their fifth month when a near tragedy showed Cali just how much their technician cared about the men. 

Cali and Tim had gone on a Weevil hunt and Gwyn was helping them bring two large, shackled males into the cells, when Ianto and Petra emerged from the firing range laughing. Startled by their sudden appearance, Gwyn loosened his grip on the chain he was holding, making it easy for the larger of the two Weevils to lunge at the assassin and the tech.

Without hesitating, Petra shoved Ianto behind her and drew her gun, firing rapidly at the Weevil as she emptied a clip into it. After turning quickly to check that Ianto was okay, Petra helped Cali secure the Weevils then drew abreast of Gwyn. “Around here, carelessness will get you, or someone else killed,” she said calmly and without malice. “Learn that now, or stay the fuck out of the way and let the rest of us handle the dangerous situations.”

Later, Cali found Petra and Jack talking quietly in Ukrainian. Ianto had obviously told Jack what had happened, because he kissed the tech’s cheek gently before returning to his office. Cali decided to take a chance and approach the woman. “Thank you for what you did down there. My brother is an idiot.”

“No, he’s not,” Petra argued softly. “But he’s not a field agent, either. Trying to make him one will just get someone hurt or killed. Not everyone is like you or me. Gwyn is more like Kara. He works better when he’s doing research. They have their jobs; we have ours.”

“Petra,” Cali paused. “You and my Grandpa … he’s special to you.”

“Very,” Petra replied calmly, “but don’t see things that aren’t there. I adore both Jack and Ianto. They saved me. They found me working black ops for UNIT. All I knew was kill, or be killed. They taught me to believe in something greater.”

“You’re an assassin?” Cali was stunned. She knew from what Jack had told her when she was sent to recruit her that the woman had to be former military, but this… She couldn’t imagine her grandparents willingly bringing a UNIT assassin into the Hub. For Ianto, it would be like having another alpha male in a pack. It should never have worked, but it clearly had. 

“The first time I met your grandparents, I was trying to kill them,” Petra admitted. “I’d been set up. No one told me they couldn’t die. Someone I trusted led me to believe they were a threat. Ianto could, and maybe should, have killed me, but he didn’t. He let me go.” 

“A month later, you showed up with a job offer. They had no reason to trust me, but for some reason they did. Killing used to be my life; it’s not anymore. Torchwood and this team is. I would give my life for any of them without hesitation – and that now includes you, your brother, your father, and especially those babies. They represent what we’re fighting for – life.”

Cali could only nod in understanding; she felt the exact same way.

~

TBC


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ianto had decided he really hated being pregnant. He didn’t remember being this tired, nauseated, or irritable with Nick; though, he supposed every pregnancy was different. Tim said that, despite his blood pressure continuing to be above normal, he was doing well. The medic had altered his diet to compensate, and Ianto had quickly started suffering from caffeine and fish and chips deprivation; who knew he had become so addicted to the battered food that he’d never heard of before arriving in the Twenty-first Century?

One side effect he did remember – rampant hormones and horniness – showed no sign of being any different. 

As predicted, Jack’s libido had started to drop off dramatically at about twenty weeks. Most nights, they settled the problem amicably; but Ianto had been forced to resort to the “you got me into this mess” argument, coupled with a threat to withhold sex after the babies were born, at least twice. Jack knew his partner had far more patience than he did and could easily withhold sex if he chose to; so he was not about to risk post-partum celibacy, just because his ‘little Captain’ was less than interested. 

They had ended up doing some experimenting and discovered that, with the right combination of toys and talk, Jack could make Ianto come without even touching him. They also discovered that erotic massages and patient, thorough rimming turned the assassin into a quivering mess – especially when they were combined.

The night of the incident with the Weevil, residual adrenaline had Ianto’s cock hard and aching. Jack had been distant for days, so he expected the best he was going to get was a half-arsed hand-job or a duty-driven blowjob. Quite frankly, tonight he would prefer pleasuring himself, if it came to that.

No one was more surprised than Ianto when Jack stepped up behind him as he was changing clothes in the bedroom. The Captain had removed his own work attire and was completely nude. He pressed up against Ianto’s body; his swollen stomach resting against the assassin’s back and his erection nestled in the crevice of his arse.

“Oh God,” Ianto groaned, rolling his hips as Jack kissed the back of his neck and his large, capable hands travelled over the tender flesh of Ianto’s own pregnant belly. “What’s gotten into you tonight?”

“Nothing yet,” Jack whispered as Ianto groaned at the bad pun. “I think its pheromones, hormones, adrenaline, and the fact that something could have happened to both of you today.”

“So this is a nice, life-affirming shag?” Ianto quipped as he turned in Jack’s arms to kiss him properly, running his fingers teasingly over Jack’s cock.

“Got a problem with that?” Jack asked, grasping Ianto’s lower lip between his teeth and making him moan with pleasure.

“None whatsoever,” Ianto assured him. “Right now, I am taking from you what I can get.”

“I think you’re doing the taking,” the Captain replied as he steered them towards the bed.

“With pleasure,” Ianto said, gently nudging him onto his back. “Just promise me one thing?”

Jack pulled Ianto down for another kiss, their pregnancies making closeness a bit awkward. “Anything,” he gasped once they broke for air.

“Stop with the lines,” Ianto told him. “Trust me when I say that nothing kills my mood faster.”

“I’m not sure anything could kill this,” Jack replied as he wrapped his hand loosely around Ianto’s shaft and pumped it.

“Will!” the assassin cried out. “Stop that or this will be over before we start, and neither of us has stamina for round two these days.”

“True,” Jack said as he released his partner’s shaft. “How do you want to do this?”

Ianto considered the conundrum. It had been a couple of weeks since they had engaged in actual sex and both were just enough larger to make the logistics complicated. “On your knees,” he told his partner. “Raise your arse and put your arms under you. Hug a pillow to your chest to keep the weight off the baby, because I am going to fuck you so hard you’ll wake up in next week.”

“Fuck,” Jack breathed, scrambling as fast as he could to do Ianto’s bidding, while the assassin groped in the nightstand for lube. 

Kneeling behind his partner, Ianto kissed a hot, wet line from the nape of Jack’s neck to the base of his spine as he worked a single, lubed digit inside him. As Jack’s body relaxed around the intrusion, Ianto let his tongue wander to the crack of his partner’s arse; teasing it with broad, quick swipes.

By the time Ianto added a second finger to his body, Jack was pushing back and trying desperately not to hump the pillow beneath him. “For someone who hasn’t wanted sex in weeks, you sure are desperate,” Ianto taunted as he continued to prepare his partner.

“Less talking. More fucking,” Jack gasped. “Need you inside me.”

Withdrawing his fingers, Ianto used the remaining lube to slick his own aching cock. “God, Will,” he gasped. “This is going to be quick.”

“Not quick enough,” Jack told him, pressing his hips backwards in an urgent plea for Ianto to get on with it already.

Grasping Jack’s hips, Ianto pushed inward as deeply as he could. Jack started to lift his torso up and back as he normally would in this position, but Ianto stilled him with a hand at the centre of his back. “Stay down,” he gasped. “I can get deeper this way, without the baby between us.”

“Deep is good,” Jack panted, clenching his internal muscles around Ianto’s cock and causing him to cry out.

“Will!” the assassin shouted. “Keep doing that and it’ll be over before I start.”

“Then move, damn you,” Jack begged. “Need you to move.”

Using Jack’s hips for leverage, Ianto began to thrust. He wanted to try to control the pace and draw out their pleasure, but his body had other ideas. He started to move rapidly, loving the cries of pleasure his partner made as his thrusts found his prostate. 

“I can’t reach your cock,” he told Jack between strokes. “Touch yourself. Come for me.”

Reaching beneath his body, Jack grasped his weeping erection and began to fist himself in time with Ianto’s thrusts. His orgasm coiled in his belly and he came with a shout, spilling over his hand and onto the sheets below. At the feel of Jack’s muscles contracting around him, Ianto cried out and emptied himself into his partner’s body.

Sagging to the bed, Ianto eased out of Jack’s body and rolled to one side, pulling his partner with him so he wasn’t laying in the mess. Using some wet wipes from the nightstand, he cleaned Jack’s hand and groin, before they cuddled together.

“We should eat,” Jack muttered, his head buried in the crook of Ianto’s neck and inhaling the assassin’s scent.

“Later,” Ianto replied sleepily. “Your demon spawn will wake us in a bit and make us feed them. They’re not even born yet and they already have a schedule.”

“Sure they do,” Jack sighed as he drifted off to sleep, a small smile on his face. “They’re your sons.”

Ianto’s sleepy reply was a fluid mix of curses in several languages.

~

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

About a month after the incident with the Weevil, things seemed to be going fairly smoothly. Neither Jack, nor Ianto appeared to be experiencing complications too extreme; Tim just hoped the smooth sailing would last for the remainder of the pregnancy.

If only the aliens would give them a break, as well, things would be perfect. They’d had a rough forty-eight hours dealing with hostile aliens and an active Rift. When things had finally calmed down, Cali had decided she, Tim, and Petra needed a break. Her father and brother could handle the Rift and her grandparents for a night. She’d sent Petra home, and was determined to get the medic out of the Hub as well. 

Tim watched Cali leave the tourist office and close the door behind her. “Do you really think it’s safe leaving them alone?” he asked, worrying his lip with apprehension. 

Cali nodded and turned to face him. “They’ll be fine,” she assured him. When he didn’t look convinced, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “Seriously,” she said, “don’t worry so much. They’ll be fine for one night. Dad and Gwyn are spending the night at the Hub anyway. Kara will even make sure they’re fed.” 

Once she’d gotten to know the young woman, Cali had learned she was a brilliant cook. Ianto had been nauseated throughout most of his pregnancy, but Kara had been able to make simple dishes to tempt him to eat.

The medic sighed and nodded his head. “I suppose,” he murmured. “I just don’t like them being without a medic in their conditions. Ianto’s blood pressure is a little high, and Jack is not a solution to that situation.”

Cali chuckled and linked her arm through his as they headed down the pier. “Remember, Gwyn trained as a doctor, so he’ll be able to make sure they’re not in any immediate danger. Come on,” she added, tugging Tim’s arm and pulling him in the direction of the car park. “Let’s go home,” she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

~

Cali groaned into Tim’s mouth as her back hit the closed door. She could just about sense him fumbling around with the chain, before he turned his full attention back to her. She threaded her fingers through Tim’s hair and pulled him closer, wrapping a leg around his waist and pulling him closer.

“Wait…” Tim gasped, trying to pull his mouth away from Cali’s. “Here?” he asked, eventually managing to take a deep breath for air.

The female Time Lord nodded her head and moved to capture his lips in a kiss once more. “Seems like as good a place as any,” she muttered, trying to drag him closer when he moved his head back.

“This is the first time we’ve seen each other for five years, Li,” Tim reminded her. “I’m not going to fuck you against the door,” he added.

Cali pouted and tilted her head forward, allowing her hair to partly fall over her face. “You sure?” she asked, grinding her hips against his cloth covered erection.

Tim groaned and closed his eyes, trying to keep in control of his body. “Yes,” he eventually said, feeling smug at how steady his voice sounded.

Cali rolled her eyes and lowered her leg. “When did you get to be such a romantic?” she muttered, placing her hand in his and leading him down the hallway to where she remembered his bedroom being.

Tim laughed and turned the woman to face him, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. “I guess a lot of things have changed while you’ve been gone,” he whispered, ducking his head and kissing her softly on the lips.

Cali moaned at the softness and eagerly parted her lips to allow Tim’s tongue to slip from his mouth into hers. “Tim,” she whispered, running her hands up his back and pressing against his shoulder blades.

The medic urged Cali towards the bed, silently encouraging her to lie down when she felt the backs of her legs hit the mattress. She gasped and arched up into his touch when he covered her body with his and ground his crotch against hers. “Something you want?” he asked, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Cali glared at him and grabbed his hand, urging it towards her jeans. “Touch me,” she commanded, wriggling a little as she tried to get comfortable.

Tim smiled and quickly unfastened her jeans and slid down her body so he could press a kiss against her tattooed hip. “This is new,” he commented, running his tongue over the pale blue and pink butterfly.

Cali grinned down at him and ran her hand through his hair. “You like?” she asked, biting her lip a little nervously.

The medic nodded his head, kissing the tattoo once more. “It’s very you,” he replied. “Butterflies never stay in one place for long,” he added at her confused look.

Any retort she might have had died on her lips when Tim unfastened her jeans and pulled them off, along with her underwear. She gasped when he ducked his head and pressed a kiss just above the small tuft of hair between her legs, before moving further south.

He grinned and flicked his tongue out, reminding himself of her taste and making her groan with pleasure. Cali reached down and ran her fingers through Tim’s hair, pushing him closer as she parted her legs to give him better access. 

“Please, Tim,” she gasped, arching her back when he slid his tongue inside her body. “God, I’ve missed you,” she whispered, almost too quietly for him to hear.

To her dismay, Tim pulled back far too soon, licking his lips as he knelt back on his heels and looked at her. “Is that it?” Cali asked with a scowl on her face and a whine in her voice.

Tim laughed and shook his head, leaning forward and kissing her passionately, allowing her to taste herself on his tongue. “I want you to come while I’m inside you,” he confessed against her lips. He ran his hand down her chest and pulled her T-shirt up over her head as he broke the kiss to breathe.

Cali narrowed her eyes a little. “I know for a fact that you can make me come more than once,” she retorted, reaching around and unfastening her bra, throwing it to the floor. “Unless you’ve forgotten how,” she added with a smirk.

The medic glared at her a little, before capturing her lips and pushing her back against the pillows. “Just wait and see,” he muttered, pulling his own clothes off.

Cali leant up on her elbows and watched Tim undress, whistling appreciatively as his body was revealed piece by piece. “Wow,” she breathed, running her hand up his chest as he came closer. “You’ve been busy while I’ve been in America,” she purred, squeezing his pectoral muscles lightly.

Tim smiled and pressed their lips together again. “Have to keep in shape if I’m going to be out in the field,” he replied, gently pushing her back against the pillows.

He rummaged around in the drawer beside the bed and fished out a condom before turning his attention back to the female Time Lord. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he breathed, ducking his head and pressing a kiss just above one of her breasts. 

Cali gasped and arched her back when Tim sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, running his tongue over it until it was a hard nub between his lips. “Fuck,” she breathed when he bit down lightly. “Well, you haven’t forgotten what to do with your mouth, I will give you that,” she added as he let the nub slip from his mouth and turned his attention to her other nipple.

Tim smirked around the nipple in his mouth and slid his hand down her body, gently fingering her clit as he sucked and nibbled her nipples.

“Enough,” Cali growled, placing her hands on Tim’s shoulders and pushing him back. “If you don’t fuck me right now, I’m going to explode,” she explained impatiently.

Tim laughed and kissed her passionately as he slid the lubricated condom on. He placed his hands under her knees and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Cali rolled her eyes and tightened her legs, pulling Tim closer. “Are you going to be a man about it and fuck me already?” she asked, running her nails down the medic’s back.

“You always were impatient,” Tim muttered, kissing her as he slid inside her wet body, making her sigh with relief.

They soon fell into a familiar rhythm – Tim had long since discovered that Cali preferred it when he didn’t hold back – and it wasn’t long before Cali was writhing underneath him.

“Come on,” she gasped, reaching around and cupping Tim’s arse with her hand, dragging him in deeper with every thrust. “Harder. Faster,” she urged, squeezing her internal muscles tightly around his cock.

“Fuck, Li,” Tim breathed into her mouth, never breaking the kiss. “I’m so close,” he whispered, moving one hand from her hip to cup her breast and tease her nipple. “Want you to come first. Come on, baby,” he cooed, pinching the erect nipple with his thumb and forefinger just as his erection brushed her G-spot.

Cali let out a loud cry and arched her back, pulsating and quivering with the pleasures of orgasm. “Tim,” she moaned deeply, urging him to completion. “Come for me. Come in me.”

Tim thrust into her willing body several more times before coming hard with a loud moan of her name. “God, Li,” he whispered, his thrusts finally slowing and eventually stopping as he rode out his own orgasm. 

“Was that worth waiting five years for?” Cali asked, her chest heaving with exertion. She whimpered a little when Tim withdrew – although, she knew she would deny it if he asked.

Tim grinned and quickly disposed of the condom before pulling the Time Lord into his arms. “Oh yeah,” he agreed, pressing a kiss against her sweaty hair as her eyes drifted closed. “But, let’s not wait another five years before we do it again, okay?”

~

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“Felix,” Kara called from her station early the next morning. “We’re getting strange readings from the Plass, like something is channelling the Rift.” 

They’d all stayed at the Hub the night before, since they didn’t want to divide manpower with Cali, Tim, and Petra off for the evening. Jack and Ianto had contended that they could go home by themselves, but they’d lost the argument, which had put them both in a foul mood. They’d gotten up early and were now pouting up in their office.

At Kara’s call, Felix moved to the CCTV and saw it – a blue Police Box. “What the hell is he doing here?” he demanded, running his hand over his closely cropped hair.

“Who? What? I don’t see anything.” Kara looked perplexed.

“Concentrate there, by the water tower,” Felix told the young woman, pointing at the screen. “It’s the TARDIS. The Doctor is here, though I have no idea why.”

“I called him,” Gwyn said, coming down the stairs and heading for them. “I figured he would want to know about Granddad and Grandpa, and the babies.”

Felix stared at his son in open-mouthed shock, still trying to work out how he and Rory had produced a child with almost no common sense. “Why would you do that? Your grandparents are pretty emotionally and physically vulnerable at the moment. You heard Tim say yesterday that Ianto’s blood pressure is already at the borderline.”

“My grandfather brings chaos wherever he goes, not to mention Ianto hates him, and he's never been exactly kind to Jack. So tell me, Gwyn, where in that highly evolved, pea size-brain of yours, did it become a good idea to get him involved in this?"

Gwyn glared at his father. “He’s not that bad,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket and heading towards the invisible lift.

Felix rolled his eyes. “You don’t know him as well as I do,” he argued, jogging after his son and placing his hands on his shoulders, turning him around before he could reach the lift. “I’ll go see him,” he added, steering the younger Time Lord around. “Jack and Ianto have probably already seen he’s here, which is sure to cause a fight or worse. You go keep your grandfathers occupied, while I deal with mine.”

“Great,” Gwyn muttered sulkily. “Baby sitting hormonal immortals. Just what I wanted to do today.” 

“What should I do?” Kara asked, looking wide-eyed and unsure of herself. 

“You focus on keeping an eye on the Rift,” Felix told the young woman.

“What do I do if something happens?” she asked, panic in her voice. They never left her alone to monitor the computers.

“Scream?” Felix suggested, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I still have my Comm. So there will be three Time Lords and two immortals, albeit pregnant ones, within shouting distance.” He sighed when he saw his son still standing nearby. “Gwyn. Upstairs. Now!” he added, pointing in the direction of the office.

Gwyn sighed and petulantly stomped towards Jack’s office, making sure he made as much noise as possible as he moved and slouching his shoulders like a moody teenager, as Felix jumped on the lift and began the ascent up to the Plass.

~

Ianto had heard Kara’s call, followed by Felix shouting at Gwyn, and pulled up the CCTV footage for the Plass. “Great,” he drawled, pushing himself away from Jack’s desk and moving over to the couch that seemed to have become his favourite place to sit. “Just what we need, right now.”

Jack frowned deeply and sat down in his chair, looking at the computer screen. “Did you call him?” Ianto asked when he realised Jack had spotted the Police Box sitting on the Plass. 

Jack turned to face him and raised an eyebrow, running a hand over his swollen stomach as he spoke. “Are you talking to me?” he asked.

Ianto rolled his eyes as Gwyn entered the office, a clear pout on his face. “No, I’m talking to the other pregnant, immortal Captain,” he muttered, picking up a newspaper and folding it up. “Yes, I’m talking to you,” he added, fanning himself with the newspaper. “God, aren’t you warm?” he questioned, looking at his partner and grandson. 

Gwyn shrugged his shoulders. “I’m okay,” he murmured, looking at Jack questioningly.

“It’s perfectly fine in here,” Jack answered. “And, to answer your question, I didn’t call the Doctor. Why would I do that? I know how much you don’t like him.”

“I did it,” Gwyn confessed, frowning deeply. “Why don’t you like him?” he asked, looking over at Ianto.

Ianto sighed and began fanning himself faster, his face going a little red. “That’s a long story,” he muttered. “Let’s just say me and your grandfather don’t see eye to eye about certain things when it comes to the Doctor.”

Jack rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “You told me that the first time you met him, you wanted to shoot him,” he reminded him. “That’s not a problem seeing eye to eye,” he scoffed.

Gwyn frowned even deeper, feeling like he’d missed something major in the conversation. Like his sister, he wasn’t one to beat around the bush and decided to ask them what he had missed. “Erm, pretend I don’t know what’s going on, because I don’t. What am I missing?”

“Only your Grandpa thinking that I’m going to run off with the Doctor, even now,” Jack answered, smirking at Ianto, whose face was almost completely red – Jack presumed with anger.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Please,” he scoffed. “Like the Doctor would take you when you’re six months gone,” he muttered.

Jack turned around and glared at his immortal partner. “Are you saying that I’m fat?” he demanded, placing his hands on his hips and staring at him fiercely.

“No,” Ianto retorted. “When have I ever said you were anything but gorgeous when you’re pregnant?” He watched Jack preen. “Doesn’t make you less of a prat, though.”

Gwyn closed his eyes, trying to pretend he wasn’t hearing their fight. It was such a stereotypical couple’s argument he couldn’t believe his grandparents were having it.

~

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Cali groaned and rolled over in the bed, almost falling off the mattress as she rolled the wrong way. She managed to catch the covers as they threatened to slip away and expose her skin to the coolness of the room. “Wha’?” she grumbled, flipping the phone open and putting it to her ear.

“Where the hell are you?” a too loud voice shouted on the other end of the line.

Cali winced and screwed her eyes closed. “Gwyn, it’s silly o’clock in the morning. Stop shouting at me,” she muttered, trying to decide if she was brave enough to open an eye and see what time it actually was.

“Where are you?” her brother demanded, ignoring her command. “You’re with him again, aren’t you?” he added before she could respond.

She scowled and slowly sat up, grateful that blood didn’t rush to her head. “That’s none of your business. I’m a big girl; I can do what I want, and I can take care of myself. Why are you calling me?” she asked, finally opening her eyes and looking around the room. 

Tim was lying next to her, amazingly still sleeping, with the sheets bunched at his waist. Cali smiled to herself and ran a hand down his chiselled chest, grinning wider when he stirred under her touch but didn’t wake up.

“You might want to wake lover boy up and get to the Hub as soon as you can,” Gwyn answered, just before there was a loud crash. “Preferably before Grandpa kills Granddad - and me,” he added, hanging up before she could question him further.

Cali sighed and threw the phone back on the bedside table. “Tim,” she called, placing her hand on the medic’s shoulder and shaking him lightly.

Tim groaned and buried his face in the pillow. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

The female Time Lord rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm. “Get up, you lazy lump,” she instructed, grabbing his bathrobe as she climbed out of the bed – she wasn’t about to freeze to death on her way to the bathroom. “I have to get to the Hub.” When Tim didn’t move, she smirked and added, “I suppose I’ll shower by myself then,” knowing it would give her the desired reaction.

Almost immediately, Tim threw the covers back and sat upright. “I’m awake,” he murmured, looking around blearily.

~

“Okay,” Cali said, stalking into the Hub half an hour later with Tim following closely behind her. “You got me out of bed far too early in the morning; this had better be good,” she threatened.

She headed across the Hub and jogged up the few stairs, heading to where she could hear loud, angry voices coming from the office. Tim decided discretion was the better part of valour and stayed in the main part of the Hub. “What’s so urgent that you couldn’t wait until a decent hour?” she demanded.

“What the hell?” she cried, jumping back, just as a bourbon bottle flew past her head, shattering on the window next to her. 

“Sorry, Princess,” Jack apologised, “but you might want to watch yourself,” he added, reaching for another bottle.

She looked over at Gwyn and raised an eyebrow. Before the younger Time Lord could reply, a shot echoed through the Hub and she quickly turned back to her grandparents, staring at them in wide-eyed surprise.

Ianto was standing in the centre of the office, pointing a gun at the drinks cabinet, where the remnants of Jack’s favourite bourbon bottle were lying scattered at the floor by the Captain’s feet.

“You bastard,” he hissed, glaring at the assassin. “You know that was my favourite one.”

“So?” Ianto retorted, cocking the hammer back again. “You threw my favourite bottle at Cal; I’m just returning the favour.”

Cali stalked across the room and snatched the gun from Ianto’s hand before he could react, immediately putting the safety back on. “They’re arguing with each other, pregnant, and hormonal, yet you still gave him a gun?” she snarled at her brother. “What were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?”

Gwyn glared at her and rose up to his full height. “He threatened to use one of my regenerations!” he shouted down at her, pointing accusingly at Ianto as he spoke.

Cali chuckled darkly and waved the gun in the air. “He’s going to have to get in line. I’ve been promised that honour for a century,” she muttered. 

“Erm, kids?” Jack interrupted the recruiter’s rant. 

“I swear, Gwyn,” Cali continued, ignorant of Jack’s attempt at an interruption, “I ask you to keep your eye on them for one night and you can’t even-,”

“Kids!” he shouted more urgently when neither of them responded.

“What?” they demanded at the same time, turning around to see Jack staring worriedly at Ianto.

In the following days, Cali would say that what happened next took place almost in slow motion. Ianto hadn’t moved from where he had been standing when she had taken the gun from him. He swayed a little in his spot, his face even redder than it had been previously, and his eyes flickered up to them.

“I’m not…” Ianto licked his lips slightly. “I’m not feeling well…”

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he stumbled forward, falling into Cali; the momentum taking her down with him. 

~

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Cali winced a little in pain, but her attention was mostly focused on Ianto, so she couldn’t dwell on the pain for too long. “Grandpa!” she cried, trying to use as much of her body as she could to protect her unborn uncle from the impact of the fall.

“Ianto!” Jack shouted, rushing forward as best as he could to help his partner. With some effort, he managed to crouch beside him. “Ianto, can you hear me?” he asked, shaking the assassin’s shoulders lightly in an attempt to rouse him. When the other man remained unresponsive, Jack drew in a breath and closed his eyes. “Please, Ianto,” he begged, running his hand down his cheek. “Not now,” he added, trying once again to get a response from him. “I need you to open your eyes and talk to me.”

Cali looked up at Gwyn who stood a few feet away, rooted to the spot in shock. “Gwyn?” she called, her voice no longer angry; she was merely terrified for Ianto. “Gwyn!” she shouted a little louder when he didn’t reply.

Eventually, the younger Time Lord blinked, snapping himself out of his daze and focusing on them once more. 

“Go get Dad and Great-Grandpa,” she instructed, trying to keep her voice calm. As Petra had reminded her, her brother wasn’t a field agent. He was an academic and could sometimes panic if things were going wrong. “Tell them what happened and get back as fast as you can.”

Gwyn nodded and raced out of the room. Shifting Ianto into Jack’s arms, Cali jumped up and moved quickly to the door, shouting, “Tim! It’s Grandpa! Hurry!” 

She turned back around and saw Jack cradling his still partner against his chest, a terrified expression on his face. “Help him, Princess. Help them both,” he pleaded.

Cali knelt down beside her grandfathers. “We will, Granddad. I promise; we will.”

~

Felix paused before the door to the TARDIS. He was about to knock when the ship sensed his presence, and opened automatically for him. He smiled and ran his hand over the ship, thanking her mentally, before squaring his shoulders and taking a deep breath; preparing himself to face his grandfather.

While their relationship had improved after the events surrounding Gwyn’s birth and the Doctor had been very involved in his children’s lives, especially after Rory’s death, there was still extensive tension between them.

“Well, hello there,” the Doctor grinned from by the console. He was on his eleventh version and actually looked younger than Felix. “I have to admit, I was expecting Jack and Ianto, but it’s good to see you, too.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Felix said softly. “Why are you here, Doctor?” he sighed.

“Gwyn called me,” the Time Lord admitted. “The question I have is why you didn’t? With both Jack and Ianto out of commission, you clearly need me here.”

“Cali, Gwyn, and I can handle it. We have Jack and Ianto’s team to help if we need it,” Felix explained, folding his arms across his chest. “We have it under control. And, with all due respect, I’m not sure your presence will help matters. Ianto is already having problems with his blood pressure; he certainly doesn’t need the extra stress.”

“He is?” The Doctor looked worried. “Are either of them having any other problems?”

“Nothing we can’t handle,” Felix reiterated. “We have their medic, Tim. He’s very good and has made sure to read everything he can on male pregnancy. Gwyn is helping. He doesn’t have experience with expectant males, but he’s very bright and he’s studied the literature; even if he doesn’t have any common sense. It’s an unusual situation, but they’re both doing well.”

“It’s more than unusual,” the Doctor sighed. “This is all wrong. It shouldn’t be happening,” the Doctor muttered to himself, running a hand over the back of his neck.

“This is why you shouldn’t be here!” Felix shouted in irritation. “Your response to everything involving Jack and Ianto is to call it ‘wrong’ or ‘impossible.’ They are not wrong and neither are those babies they’re carrying.”

“I was about to suggest you come in and see them for a minute before you go; but now I don’t think so. You just need to leave as quickly as you got here. I’ll make up some excuse about you just stopping by to refuel and tell them that you send your best. You visit infrequently enough, that they should buy it.”

“Felix,” the Doctor said soothingly, placing a hand on his Grandson’s arm and silencing his rant. “I think you’re misunderstanding me. I don’t …” 

Before he could finish, they hear a shout from outside the TARDIS. Stepping outside, they saw Gwyn racing towards them. 

“Dad, Great-grandfather, hurry. It’s Grandpa,” Gwyn said, breathing heavily. 

“What’s happened?” Felix demanded urgently. 

“He and Granddad were fighting,” Gwyn explained. “He collapsed. Cali sent me for you.”

“Why didn’t you use the Comm.?” Felix demanded as the three of them raced for the Invisible Lift. 

“I…” Gwyn stammered. “I forgot.”

“Great, just great,” Felix muttered. “Get some sense, Gwyn!”

“Can you two fight later?” the Doctor asked. “Ianto needs us, and if I’m right we need to get there quickly before we lose that baby.”

Father and son glanced at each other in terror, and then followed the older Time Lord on the lift.

~

TBC


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Jack knew he was slowly going insane. He was sitting on the sofa with Cali and Felix. His granddaughter had his hand clutched in hers and was trying to keep him calm. His other hand was rubbing small circles on his swollen belly. Their son was either sensing his daddy’s concern, or the threat to his tad and brother, because he was very active. 

Kara was sat at her station, monitoring the Rift and periodically regarding him with worried eyes. She’d already called Petra, who was on her way to the Hub.

The events since Ianto’s collapse were muddled in his mind. Tim had come into the office at Cali’s frantic call. He’d immediately scanned Ianto and determined that his blood pressure was dangerously high. 

“The baby?” Jack had demanded immediately.

“He’s not in distress at the moment,” Tim had assured him. “We need to get them down to the medical bay and get Ianto’s blood pressure down, before he has a stroke or a heart attack, and we lose both of them,” he’d told Jack and Cali.

Before they could decide how to move the assassin, the Doctor, Felix, and Gwyn had come running into the office. The Doctor had also quickly scanned Ianto and agreed with Tim’s diagnosis. The Time Lords had worked together to carefully move the unconscious immortal into the medical bay.

Jack had hauled himself to his feet and tried to follow, determined to stay with his pregnant partner. Tim had held him back. “We need room to work,” he’d told the Captain, glancing at Cali who had nodded.

“Come sit down, Granddad,” the blonde Time Lord had said, placing her hands on her Granddad’s shoulders. “Great-Grandpa, Tim, and Gwyn will take care of him. They’ll come get us if he needs us.”

“I want to stay with him,” Jack had insisted. “I need to be there for him if…” His voice broke.

“You need to let us help him,” Tim had replied. “And you need to sit down and try to stay calm for that baby you’re carrying. It will not help Ianto and your son for you and your other son to end up in distress, too.” Exchanging a final glance with Cali, he had raced to the medical bay.

A few minutes later, Felix had returned to them. He had reported Ianto was still unconscious. That had been almost half an hour before, and they had received no new reports since. Jack was about five minutes from bursting into the medical bay and demanding answers. 

Just then, the Doctor and Tim emerged from the medical area. Jack stood with some difficulty, flanked by Felix and Cali, who kept a hand on each arm in case he fell. “How are they?” the Captain demanded, not giving them chance to speak first.

“Let’s sit down, Jack,” the Doctor suggested. “We don’t need another patient today.”

Jack nodded distractedly and slowly sat down once more. “Doctor,” he begged, his eyes wide and fearful. “Talk to me.”

The Doctor sat on the arm of the sofa as Tim, Felix, and Cali gathered around. Kara listened from her station. “Ianto and the baby are stable,” the older Time Lord told Jack. “His blood pressure is still high, but it’s coming down. He’s not awake yet, but he will be soon. Gwyn is with him. We have a monitor on the baby, and he’s holding his own; he’s a Harkness-Jones, alright.”

“What happened?” Jack asked, looking guilty. “Was it because we were fighting? I mean, we’ve always fought; even when he was carrying Dominic. I never thought…”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Tim assured him quickly, trying to prevent the Captain worrying even more. “Ianto’s blood pressure has been running high for weeks. If he were female, I’d have been worried about a condition called pre-eclampsia, but everything I’ve read said that isn’t an issue in male pregnancy. We’ve been trying to control it by reducing stress and changing his diet. For whatever reason, it spiked.” 

“Gwyn said he was having hot flashes before you fought. I think his pressure was already high,” Tim said. “If that’s right, he would have collapsed at some point, regardless of what happened. In a way, we’re lucky that all of us were here. The Doctor stabilised him quickly, before the elevated pressure did him any harm or had a negative impact on the baby.”

“Thank you,” Jack whispered, turning his eyes to his old friend. “Do you know why this happened?”

“I have a theory,” the Doctor replied. “I was trying to explain it to Felix, but I think he misunderstood me.” He glanced at his grandson, who looked away in shame. 

“When Gwyn called me to tell me about the babies, I knew I needed to come. I wanted to see you and Ianto, of course; but I was worried, as well. In all of recorded medical history, there has never been a case of dual male pregnancies. A pregnant male cannot impregnate his partner – male or female - from very early in a pregnancy – probably hours after conception.”

“Theoretically, I suppose in a ...Erm … active relationship, it is possible. But, the second pregnancy does not successfully implant, because the pregnant male parent is producing female pheromones, which triggers excessive testosterone in the other parent; this would account for the protective instinct during pregnancy.”

“So one of us shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant at all?” Jack summarised. “How did it happen then?”

“Forgive my bluntness, but I assume you conceived first?” the Doctor asked Jack.

Thinking back to that night in the Hub and the water tower, Jack nodded. “I think so. Ianto could have been any time that night or the next morning.”

“Ianto should not have been able to get pregnant once you were,” Tim explained. “But we think his immortality overrode his body’s natural response – we know it makes your bodies resistant to change – and allowed him to conceive. The embryo should have never implanted. And even if it had, he probably should have miscarried fairly early, but his body is fighting to maintain the pregnancy, even as it’s producing antibodies against the foetus.”

“His body is rejecting the baby?” Jack asked, his voice breaking.

“Essentially, yes,” the Doctor explained. “It’s why he’s had the constant nausea and the problems with his blood pressure. The further along he gets, the harder it becomes for his body to carry the baby; eventually, he will go into pre-term labour.”

“Can we take him to the future?” Felix suggested. “To somewhere they’re more equipped to deal with male pregnancy? No offence, Tim,” he flashed the medic an apologetic smile.

“None taken,” Tim assured him. “I asked the same thing. This isn’t about professional pride. It’s about protecting Ianto and saving that baby.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not an option,” the Doctor said sadly. “Even if I thought he and the baby could survive a trip through time – which I don’t - this is a completely unique case, as I said. Even medical facilities beyond Jack and Ianto’s own time wouldn’t be equipped to handle it.”

“Can we do anything to stop it?” Cali asked, moving to sit next to Jack and taking his hand to comfort him. 

“There are several things I can try to get him closer to term; including immunosuppressant therapy,” the Doctor told them. “He’ll be vulnerable to infection, so we’ll need to be careful. He won’t have his usual fifty-first century immune system to help him, so if any of you even think you have the sniffles, you’re not to go anywhere near him.” 

The older Time Lord waited for nods of understanding, before continuing, “He also needs to go on total bed rest. That’s not easy for the most patient of people; I think it will be especially hard for Ianto. I’ll need to stay for the remainder of his pregnancy. Felix and Cali are here; if the TARDIS senses something that requires my attention, I’ll have to trust them to handle it.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Jack said. “Can I see him?”

“In a moment,” the Doctor assured him. “Tim wants to check you over.” He exchanged a glance with the medic that Jack noticed immediately.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Jack demanded, glaring at the Doctor as the others looked on.

“What makes you ask that?” the Time Lord wondered, even as he failed to meet Jack’s eyes.

“I’ve known you for centuries, Doctor,” Jack said, his voice like ice. “Whatever face you’re wearing, I know when you’re lying.”

The Doctor sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Given the level of anti-bodies in Ianto’s blood, they’ve likely crossed the placenta. Even if we get him to term, there is a possibility that the baby will need his blood replaced immediately to combat the anti-bodies in his own bloodstream. Ianto’s body is doing the fighting for him right now, but it won’t once he’s born and he won’t have the added edge of immortality. We’ll need to exchange his blood to remove the anti-bodies.”

“We keep blood in storage here,” Tim reminded them. “We can type and cross-match the minute we deliver him and have a transfusion set up in minutes.”

Jack shook his head. “It’s not that simple, Tim. By the Fifty-First Century blood types are slightly different, so the only two people capable of donating blood to the baby are Ianto and I. Ianto won’t be able to because he’ll just have given birth, and he’ll carry the anti-bodies. If I give birth first, I should be able to . . .”

“I’m afraid that won’t work either, Jack,” the Doctor said. “With Ianto pregnant and projecting pheromones, your body is likely showing some of the same anti-bodies as Ianto’s; albeit on a lesser scale since you conceived first and since you haven’t exhibited any complications. Tim is going to take some blood from you, to see if I’m right. If I am, I have no idea how long after delivery it will take for your blood to clean itself.”

“If I give birth first, we kill me. If I die my body will reset itself,” Jack reasoned. Cali drew in a terrified gasp and Jack squeezed her hand. “I know, Princess. But whenever we die, our bodies reset themselves back to the factory settings. Won’t that be enough?” he implored, staring at the Doctor.

The Time Lord shook his head. “What likely will happen to this baby outside the womb will be similar to an autoimmune disease. His body will be attacking itself. When you transfuse blood, you replenish the supply, but the original antibodies would still be there and replicate with the new supply.”

“Even if we can clear your blood somehow – and I’m not killing you to do that – it won’t do what we need it to. We need blood that will replace the baby’s blood supply, not just replenish it – more of an infusion of new blood, rather than a transfusion.”

“We don’t have a choice, Doctor,” Jack argued, grim determination in his voice. “I am doing this. Even if I have to shoot myself, I will. I am going to save that baby; there isn’t another option.”

“There is,” the Doctor argued softly. “We need embryonic cells that will replicate and build a new blood supply, but we need them from an uncontaminated source that is a genetic match for the baby.” At Jack’s confused look, he added, “cord blood.” 

Jack understood what he was implying immediately and he shook his head. “No,” he whispered, his hands flying to his stomach.

The Doctor sighed softly and offered the Time Agent a regretful smile. “He can save his brother, Jack,” the Time Lord explained. “There will be no risk to him. If you deliver first, we simply have to harvest his cord blood and store it until his brother is born.”

“And if I don’t?” Jack demanded. “If Ianto delivers prematurely, what then? We take this baby early to try to save his brother? We put both of our sons at risk? How do I make that decision?”

“You won’t be making it on your own,” the Doctor began. “You and Ianto will have-,”

“No!” Jack shouted, cutting him off. “Ianto is to know nothing about this. If it becomes an issue when the babies are born, we’ll deal with it then; but until then he can’t do anything about it. You know his history, Doctor. You know what happened to his tad and baby brother, not to mention how hard he took losing Rory and Nick. If he knows his body is rejecting our son, all it will do is upset him further and cause his blood pressure to spike again.” He looked at Tim for clarification that he was right and the medic nodded. 

“I agree with Jack,” Tim said. “Normally, I don’t believe in lying to a patient, but telling Ianto the truth is not going to serve any purpose. All he needs to know is that he’s going to be on bed rest for a while and that it’s for his – and the baby’s – good. We can tell him he has something similar to pre-eclampsia and that, coupled with the Doctor’s treatments, are designed to manage it.”

Jack glanced around at the others. “We need to keep him calm and convince him everything is going to be okay. Moreover, we need to believe it. Ianto is empathic enough to sense otherwise.” He turned to Tim and the Doctor. “Meanwhile, you two find something - anything - we can use to help that baby Ianto’s carrying, without risking both our sons.” He looked at them intently. “Please. I’m begging you.” 

When he received their nods of understanding, he got to his feet – somewhat awkwardly. He took a deep breath. He schooled his face and reinforced his shields to hide his distress, before venturing to the medical area, to see if Ianto was awake. 

After a moment, Tim followed him to relieve Gwyn and keep an eye on both of his patients.

 

~

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Cali sat on the sofa, snuggled against her dad. “I shouldn’t have left,” she whispered, burying further into Felix’s embrace. The older Time Lord sighed and pressed a kiss against her blonde hair, squeezing her gently.

“Nonsense,” the Doctor assured her. “This is no one’s fault. Like I told Jack, it was only a matter of time.” They were sitting around, waiting for Ianto to wake up so they could decide whether he would be staying at their house or in their bedroom in the Hub, for the remainder of his pregnancy. 

Kara was off making tea. Cali didn’t know where Gwyn was, but she presumed the younger Time Lord was helping her; it was probably a good thing he was staying out of her way. She had a few words to say to her brother when she saw him next.

Everyone started as the cog door rolled back to reveal Petra, who came racing in and headed straight for Cali. “How are they?” she demanded immediately.

“Stable,” Cali told her, then quickly summarised Ianto’s condition. “Great-grandfather is going to do what he can.”

Petra turned to regard the oldest Time Lord. “That does not make me feel any better,” she stated bluntly. “What’s the back-up plan?”

“Hello,” the Doctor said cheerily, flashing her a grin and ignoring her question. “I don’t think we’ve met; I’m the Doctor.”

“I’m well aware,” Petra replied icily. “I work for Torchwood, after all.”

“They’ve never had it right about me,” the older Time Lord assured her. “I’ve known Jack and Ianto for a long time and …”

“And caused them a great deal of pain,” Petra concluded. “I don’t care what the Torchwood charter said, or now says, about you; I do care what Ianto thinks.” She turned to Cali and Felix. “What’s the back-up plan?” she asked again.

Cali shook her head. “There isn’t one,” she said. “Great-grandfather is the only hope we have,” she whispered, tears welling up in her brown eyes; Felix squeezed her tightly again, trying to comfort her.

“Just lovely,” Petra sighed and slumped down in a chair. “We’ll probably need to reset the field rota,” she mused. “Tim should remain in the Hub with Ianto at all times now. We can set up a room for him here, near Jack and Ianto’s quarters.”

“Actually, we’re not sure if Grandpa’s going to stay here or at their house,” Cali said, just as Kara returned with tea for everyone. 

“Are you all really that inept?” Petra asked with a glare, and then looked closely at Felix and Cali. Her expression softened. “I’m sorry. You’re clearly worried, exhausted, and not thinking clearly. At best, their house is fifteen minutes from the Hub. All the advanced medical equipment is here; Tim will probably have other things he wants to requisition to deal with a premature or sick infant. We want Ianto and that baby seconds from that equipment, not minutes.”

“She’s right,” the Doctor acknowledged. “Rude, but right.”

“You of all people do not get to comment on manners,” Felix told his grandfather with a shake of his head. “I agree though; Ianto and Jack need to stay here.”

“I’ll need a place large enough to park the TARDIS, preferably close to the medical area,” the elder Time Lord said.

“We can clean out one of the storage areas,” Cali replied. “With all of us working on it, it’ll only take a couple of hours. Give us something to do.”

Felix nodded. “The Doctor and Tim should be with Jack and Ianto at all times. Kara can continue to monitor the Rift and the Comms.”

“That’ll put you, me, and Cali in the field,” said Petra. “We can handle that.”

“My idiot brother will just have to start pulling his weight as well,” Cali added with a scowl. “It’s about time he learnt how to handle himself in a crisis.”

Petra just glared at the other woman. “Haven’t we had this conversation? Your brother is no idiot, but he’s not a field agent either. Stop trying to make him into a clone of you and everyone else in your family. All that’s going to do is get people killed, and some of us don’t regenerate.”

“Like it or not, Granddad put me in command,” Cali said with a scowl. “Gwyn needs to go on the field rota. End of discussion.”

“Cali,” Felix said softly, not wanting to contradict his daughter in front of others, but he knew Petra was right. “She has a point. He’s not me, or your Papa. And he’s certainly not your grandparents. You have to stop pushing him so hard, and so do I.”

“Where is he anyway?” Petra demanded, looking around the room. “He’s part of this team. He should be helping us strategise.”

“I thought he was helping Kara with the tea,” Cali said, knowing Petra and her father were making sense.

“I never saw him,” Kara told her innocently.

Immediately, Cali felt panic start to overwhelm her. Forcing it down, she quickly extracted herself from Felix’s arms and stood up. She crossed to the nearest computer and, a few keystrokes later, she had cued up the CCTV and was searching the Hub. 

The shooting range was empty, as were the cells and archives. Jack and Tim were with Ianto in the medical bay, but there was no sign of Gwyn.

As Cali worked, Petra had moved to another console. Working swiftly, she brought up footage from outside the Hub. “There,” she said, catching sight of Gwyn several minutes before, as he bolted towards where he had parked his motorcycle. 

Cali ran over to the computer and together they watched him travel for a few miles until he stopped and parked once more. “Oh,” Cali whispered, running her fingers over the image on the screen in front of her as she realised where he was. “Gwyn, why…?” she trailed off with a shake of her head.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Felix said from where he had been watching. His voice was strained from keeping a tight rein of his emotions; Cali wasn’t the only one who knew why Gwyn had ended up at his destination.

The Doctor shook his head and rested a hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “Let me try,” he volunteered, gratified when the younger Time Lord slowly nodded and flashed the Doctor a grateful smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring him home.”

~

TBC


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The TARDIS reappeared in front of a pair of large iron gates. Pulling the doors open and stepping out into the cool afternoon, the Doctor looked around him and immediately recognised the black and silver motorcycle parked nearby; his great-grandson had been insisting on riding around on it for decades.

Pushing past the gates, it didn’t take long for him to find Gwyn sitting on a bench, his legs curled to his chest as he stared at the stones in front of him. “Vanishing like that without telling anyone isn’t clever, you know?” he asked conversationally, sitting down next to Gwyn.

The young Time Lord let out a bitter laugh and rolled his eyes. “Not clever,” he echoed. “That’s me through and through, isn’t it?” he added, with a scowl. “I can’t do anything right.”

The Doctor frowned deeply. “No one has ever said you weren’t clever.”

Gwyn scoffed and shook his head. “Cali calls me an idiot on a daily basis.”

The Doctor rolled his own eyes. “You’re not seriously using Cali as an example, are you? She’s your big sister. Of course she thinks you’re an idiot,” he added. “But she loves you more than anyone, bar the rest of your family; even if she does think you’re an idiot. She’d move the heavens for you if you asked.”

They fell silent until the Doctor spoke, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.” He looked around him. “It hasn’t changed much,” he murmured.

“This plot is owned by the Harkness-Jones’,” Gwyn recited. “Granddad and Grandpa pay for the upkeep of it.”

The Doctor’s eyes fell on the stones before them and he read the text, before speaking, “I still remember when Felix called me to tell me what had happened to your Papa,” he whispered, wrapping his arm around Gwyn’s shoulders.

“I actually tried to go back in time and stop it,” he confessed, telling Gwyn something he had never told anyone; not even Felix.

Gwyn drew in a gasp and stared at his Great-grandfather. “I thought Time Lord’s weren’t allowed to go back and change events like that?”

The Doctor nodded. “We’re not, but I wasn’t thinking rationally; all I could think was that I owed your dad, as well as Jack and Ianto, something. I thought if I could bring their son back, I would be able to prove myself to them a little bit. But, no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t arrive in the right time. I think that was fate telling me there would have been nothing I could have done.”

“I was seven,” Gwyn whispered, resting his chin on his knees and looking back at Rory’s headstone once more. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” he added. “I remember everything about him. Sometimes…” he closed his eyes and took a breath, “it doesn’t even feel like he’s gone. I’ll do something and think that Papa would love to know about it, but I can’t tell him. So I come here and tell him instead.”

“Cali was so brave,” the Doctor murmured, running his fingers through the short hair at the back of Gwyn’s head. “She took such good care of you. Far more responsibility than an eleven year old should have,” he added.

Gwyn roughly brushed his hand across his cheek, stubbornly brushing away any tears, and let out a hoarse chuckle. “I remember she used to pick me up from school when Dad got stuck at Torchwood.”

The Doctor smiled and nodded his head. “If I remember correctly, she took out a few bullies for you as well,” he commented, remembering to when he had visited while Gwyn had been bullied; Cali had certainly shown them you don’t mess with a Harkness-Jones family member.

Gwyn let a noise of agreement and hugged his legs tighter to his body. “Do you think he would like me?” he asked quietly, hating how much like a child he sounded.

“I know for a fact he would love you,” the Doctor stated empathically. “I know for certain that he did love you, and likely still does, wherever he is. You made him so happy when he was alive, Gwyn. Please don’t ever doubt that.”

“I’m a screw-up!” Gwyn exclaimed, pushing his legs down. “Everything I touch turns to shit. Nothing turns out the way I want it to. Look at you…”

“Me?” the Doctor yelped. “What about me?”

“Dad gave me such a hard time for calling you, and then Granddad and Grandpa got in on it,” Gwyn explained. “And all I was trying to do was make sure you knew about the babies.”

“Ah,” the Doctor murmured, placing a hand on his great-grandson’s arm. “They might not have wanted me here – which, I can understand in a way. I do have a habit of finding trouble – but my presence in Cardiff turned out to be a good thing, didn’t it? If I hadn’t have been so close, your Grandpa wouldn’t have been stabilised so quickly.”

Gwyn didn’t look convinced so the Doctor tried a different tactic. “You calling me probably saved your Uncle’s life,” he said softly, running his hand through Gwyn’s hair.

The look of relief on Gwyn’s young face made the Doctor smile. “They’re going to be okay?” he whispered nervously.

The Doctor nodded. “For now, and it’s all down to you,” he assured him. “You came to get me when Ianto passed out, and you were the one that called me in the first place. Who cares if you’re not a field agent? This family needs another academic; we haven’t had once since Kat became a doctor.”

~

The Hub was suspiciously quiet when Gwyn returned with the Doctor. He knew they’d all noticed his absence and were probably trying to act as casual as possible, by being conveniently absent.

The Doctor mumbled some kind of excuse about needing to check on something in the TARDIS and headed up to her. 

Gwyn rolled his eyes at the lack of subtly his Great-grandfather was showing, before slowly making his way to the medical bay.

He paused in the entrance and watched the scene in front of him. Jack was sitting next to Ianto, holding his hand and whispering to him in Frezanian.

Gwyn jumped when he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist from behind. “How’s Papa?” Cali whispered in his ear.

“Still sleeping,” Gwyn replied just as softly, using the same line Felix had said to him as a child whenever he’d asked about Rory. “How did you even notice I was gone?” he asked, turning around and looking at his sister.

“Petra noticed,” Cali confessed, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. She may have been older than he was, but Gwyn was taller and a brilliant hugger. “You should have said you wanted to see him,” she added. “I would have gone with you.”

Gwyn held his sister tight and closed his eyes. “I didn’t head there intentionally,” he admitted. “I just had to get out of here,” he whispered. “Visiting Papa helps me relax.”

Cali grinned and brushed tears from her cheeks. “Me, too,” she confessed, only just realising they were actually more alike than she had ever realised. “When I’m in Cardiff I go see him almost every day,” she added.

Gwyn looked just as surprised as she felt at the realisation of how much they actually had in common; it had been a long time since they had actually spent time together and talked. “I… I didn’t know that,” he murmured, his surprise showing in his voice.

The older Ryman grinned and hugged her brother again. “We should go get food in a bit,” she decided, stepping back and smiling up at him. “Just the two of us.”

Gwyn smiled and pressed a kiss against his sister’s forehead. “I’d like that,” he confessed.

~

TBC


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Ianto’s head felt fuzzy. He opened his eyes and winced at the harsh light; slamming them shut once more. Where the hell was he? The last thing he remembered was being in that sauna Jack called an office and fighting with his arse of a partner about the Doctor, and then… His eyes flew open again – ignoring the bright light - and his hands went to his stomach.

“Easy,” Jack whispered from next to him, taking one of Ianto’s hands in his.

“The baby?” the assassin immediately demanded.

“He’s fine,” Jack assured him. “You both gave us a scare; but Tim, Gwyn, and the Doctor got you stabilised. Our son is already a fighter and a stubborn bastard - just like his tad.”

“What happened?” Ianto asked, relief plain in his voice as his free hand stroked his swollen stomach.

“You were fighting with Jack,” Tim told him, coming into view over the Captain’s shoulder. “Your blood pressure spiked and you collapsed. You came close to a stroke or a heart attack; or, at the very least, a miscarriage.”

“Oh God,” Ianto muttered, and then looked at Jack. “I’m sorry. I know better than to let the Doctor get me worked up like that, especially now. I could have…”

“Hey,” Jack whispered. “It’s not your fault. You just need to stay calm, okay?”

“I’m trying,” Ianto assured him. “But it is my fault. I could have lost your son.”

Jack frowned at Ianto’s choice of words, but before he could say anything, Tim interrupted. “Let’s help you sit up,” he told the assassin. “We all need to talk.” 

Once Ianto was in a more upright position, Tim pulled up a stool and sat down. “What happened was not your fault. Your blood pressure has been running high for days, and this would have happened regardless of the timing. Luckily, you had Gwyn, the Doctor and I here. We treated the symptoms quickly and stabilised you and the baby, but we need to address the underlying cause.”

“Which is?” Ianto asked, clutching Jack’s hand convulsively. The Captain knew the assassin was thinking about his own tad and baby brother.

“What do you know about a condition called pre-eclampsia?” the medic asked.

“Not much,” Ianto told him. “Our oldest granddaughter, Kat, had trouble with it during her third pregnancy. She was on bed rest for the last few weeks.”

“One of the main symptoms of pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure,” Tim explained. “When you started to exhibit that a few weeks ago, I did some research. From what I can tell by looking at your files and Rory’s – including the information the Doctor provided when Gwyn was born - it doesn’t seem to be a condition associated with male pregnancy, but I treated the symptoms just like I would in a woman – change in diet, more rest, etc. Your case was very minor, until today.”

“And now?” Ianto asked.

“Now, it’s acute,” Tim responded. “We’ve gotten your pressure down, but it’s still not normal. If we can’t control it you could suffer a stroke, a heart attack, or kidney failure. You might also experience convulsions, or other complications; any of which can lead to foetal death or premature labour.”

Ianto closed his eyes and swallowed convulsively. “So what do we do?”

“Well,” Tim replied, “we’re going to do the same thing for you we would for any pregnant patient with this condition,” he answered honestly. “The good news is that we can be more patient and aggressive, because this condition can result in permanent damage or death to the maternal parent.”

“Under normal circumstances, as a doctor I would have to put you first; which could mean delivering the baby before he could survive. We don’t have to exercise that option as long as the baby isn’t in distress, and you’re not in imminent danger of death. It buys us more time.”

“I don’t matter,” Ianto told him firmly. “I don’t care about me. Whatever happens to me, I’ll recover from. We do everything and anything we need to do for him.”

“Ianto…” Jack began.

“No,” the assassin shook his head and looked over at his partner. “This is non-negotiable. He has got to be everyone’s top priority. I mean it; if something bad happens to me, I want you to ensure he’s safe first.” He curled his fingers in Jack’s shirt. “I want your word, Will.” 

Jack’s eyes widened at Ianto’s use of his name; clearly the promise was important enough to Ianto, that he was willing to use his real name, even with Tim right there. He never, ever, did that.

“I promise,” Jack told him, swallowing thickly. “Just don’t… Just be okay. Please.”

“I always am,” Ianto assured him, bringing their joined hands to his mouth and kissing the Captain’s knuckles. He pressed Jack’s hand to his mouth for a moment longer, before turning back to Tim and asking, “What’s the plan?”

“As of this moment, you’re on complete bed rest,” the doctor said. “We’ll adjust your diet to lower your pressure as well. Plus, the Doctor says he has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“Bed rest for how long?” Ianto asked with a whine in his voice.

Tim winced. “The rest of the pregnancy,” he almost whispered, bracing himself for the assassin’s wrath.

“I’m at twenty-six weeks,” Ianto said. “That’s another fourteen to sixteen weeks!” He frowned when he saw Jack and Tim exchange glances. “What?” he demanded. “I need you to be honest with me, or I will get a gun and shoot one of you.”

Tim chuckled weakly and looked over at Jack. “Does he sleep with a gun under his pillow?” he questioned.

Jack nodded his head. “Unfortunately,” he replied. “You might as well tell him; he’ll just kill you if you don’t. Well, he’s not going to shoot me, is he?” he asked, gesturing to his stomach when Tim glared at him.

Tim sighed and glanced down at his notes for a moment; collecting his thoughts. “Ianto, there is almost no chance of this pregnancy going to term,” he explained softly. “Our hope is that with bed rest, a change in diet, and the Doctor’s treatments we can get you as close to thirty-six weeks as possible. That’s considered full term by most doctors. At this point, I’ll be happy with anything beyond thirty-four weeks. He might need a little extra support at first, but his odds would be good.”

Ianto took a deep breath and looked at Jack. “What about having the Doctor take us to our time, or beyond?” He glanced at Tim. “I trust you, but they know more about male pregnancy and premature babies survive much earlier, and encounter fewer problems. I was born at thirty weeks and had almost no issues.”

“That’s debatable,” Jack scoffed, trying to lighten the mood, before his expression turned grim once more. “We asked about that. It was actually Tim’s first suggestion,” he said with a smile at the medic. “The Doctor doesn’t think you and the baby would survive a trip through time.”

“It’s that bad?” Ianto looked terrified, an emotion no one was used to seeing on his face; he never got scared – and even if he did, he never showed it.

“No,” Jack said, hating himself for how easily the lie rolled off his tongue. “You know time travel is rough on the system at the best of times. The added stress would just be too much of a risk. And it’s a risk none of us are willing to take.”

“Okay,” Ianto sighed. “So eight to ten weeks is our target?” He caressed his bump. “I can do that. It’ll be hard but I don’t have a choice. There just… There might be a few death threats from me in the next few weeks,” he warned, looking over at Tim.

Tim chuckled and nodded his head. “We’re used to dealing with you when you’re dishing out the death threats,” he shrugged. “We’re going to get you and Jack set up in your room here in the Hub,” Tim told him. “This way, you’ll always have company and you’ll both be seconds from the best medical care we can provide.” 

“Gwyn is working with Cali to set up a version of a NICU in one of the smaller rooms. Felix and Petra went to get all the equipment we need.” He did not tell them that he’d asked for duplicates of everything in case they needed to deliver the baby Jack was carrying early as well. “I’m going to check on all of that and leave you two alone for a bit. You call if you need me?”

“Thanks, Tim,” Jack called as they watched the medic leave. 

He looked down and noticed tears on Ianto’s cheeks. He hated seeing his normally strong partner so vulnerable, but the assassin’s only weakness was their family. “It’s going to be okay,” he told him, cradling him gently.

“It has to be, Will,” Ianto whispered against his partner’s neck. “It just has to.”

~

TBC


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Once Ianto was ensconced in the bedroom at the Hub, the team fell into a routine. Jack wanted to spend as much time with him as he could, and had taken to working from a small desk he’d had moved into the room. 

However, Tim and the Doctor were worried about putting additional stress on the Captain during his own pregnancy. They knew he was worried about Ianto, but had to keep reminding him that the assassin wasn’t the only pregnant one in their partnership. They had reached a compromise with Jack; if he worked from his office, he could spend every evening together with Ianto. 

Tim, the Doctor or Gwyn were always in the Hub, along with one other team member at night. Everyone stayed there during the day. If the team had to go into the field, the Doctor and Kara stayed behind with Jack and Ianto. 

Instead of relying on Jack to stay with the assassin all the time, the team and the Doctor had divided the days into shifts, to ensure Ianto always had company to distract him.

He had been begging them for a gun and a target – one he could shoot at from his bed – but Cali had flat out refused. Ianto had tried to argue that shooting a gun was good for his blood pressure, as it calmed him down, but his granddaughter wasn’t having any of it.

Instead, she decided that each of them needed to involve him as much as possible; he needed to feel like he was still part of the team, otherwise he would go mad.

Petra always had new weapons for him to examine or training regimens for him to go over – she was under strict instructions that the weapons were to never be loaded. Gwyn and the Doctor always had history or literature questions for him, while Tim ran medical theories by him and Kara had him help her plan menus or check coding for search programs. 

Cali and Jack were sharing running Torchwood and they both stopped by at regular intervals to seek his opinion on any command decisions. Ianto may be otherwise unable to do anything, but he was still Jack’s second in command and the Captain was determined to involve him as much as he could.

However, Ianto had to admit that he enjoyed visits from Felix the most. He didn’t try to make Ianto feel better, or lie to him that he was getting well again. He would just talk to the assassin. More often than not, they would reminisce over things Rory had done as a child and during his life with Felix. Ianto had heard most of Felix’s stories, as Felix had heard Ianto’s, but they never got old for either of them.

For his part, Ianto was happy the team was working to keep his mind active, but he found he was very tired. His medical team – he’d come to think of them that way – assured him that it was normal, so he did sleep a great deal and everyone was wonderful about leaving him to himself when he needed it. Even when their constant hovering threatened to get on his nerves, he forced himself to remain patient by remembering that he was doing all of this for the baby he was carrying.

Tim had made sure that Ianto’s diet was taken into consideration when breakfast or lunch was brought in, but the team had taken it upon themselves to divide up preparing dinner for the men so that they wouldn’t have to rely on takeaway every night.

“So have you thought about names yet?” Kara asked one evening about a month into Ianto’s confinement. She and Petra were having dinner with them. The young woman had made a light, healthy pasta dish that was amazingly flavourful, even if Ianto suspected it lacked anything remotely bad for him.

“We’ve talked about some ideas,” Ianto admitted. “We had an old baby name book at the house; Cali brought it to me a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve decided to wait until they’re born.”

“Why?” Kara demanded. “There are so many cute monogrammed things at baby shops. Remember what we saw the other day, Petra?”

Ianto almost choked on his dinner. “Wait!” He looked at Petra. “You went baby shopping?” he asked incredulously. “My God, I’m on my arse for a few weeks and the world gets knocked all out of kilter. You’re not going to tell me you’re straight as well, are you?”

“Remind me to shoot you when you deliver,” Petra snarled in Ukrainian, flicking her middle finger up at him as she spoke.

“I’d like to see you try,” Ianto scoffed in Welsh, before grinning evilly. “How did you end up baby shopping?”

“We went to get some supplies for them,” Kara explained. “Tim made a list of basics we should have in the Hub.”

“Next thing I knew, she was on the other side of the store looking at outfits,” Petra explained in exasperation. “Since we know that if she’s left alone it generally requires massive amounts of Retcon, I was forced to endure looking at tiny clothing and baby grows for an hour.”

“So you took one for the team,” Jack said with a smirk from where he was seated next to his partner. “How much did you buy?”

“None of your damn business,” the tech told him. “I’m giving it all to Ianto anyway,” she added with a grin, making Jack pout as everyone laughed.

Kara scrunched up her forehead. “So why aren’t you picking names? I mean, why wait?”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Hormones make us daft. If we chose a name now it’ll probably be something completely ridiculous.”

Jack shook his head, “That’s not the only reason, and you know it,” he argued, earning himself a glare from Ianto, along with a curse word in Frezanian. At the girls’ confused looks, he explained, “They were conceived together and will likely be born close together. We want to name them together to mirror. Once they’re both here, we’ll pick their names.”

“You’re right,” Petra said thoughtfully, nodding her head.

“Thank you,” Jack said, knowing the tech had a soft side even if she didn’t like to admit it.

“Hormones do make you daft,” the blonde said, standing and striding from the room.

~

TBC


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Ianto had known from the moment of his collapse in Jack’s office that there was more wrong with him than high blood pressure. If he was honest with himself, he’d known long before that but he could delude himself when he wanted to. 

He vividly recalled his pregnancy with Dominic and while he’d been uncomfortable at times - especially towards the end - he’d never really felt unwell; he’d felt reasonably okay even after he had been shot and after he had collapsed when Owen died the first time.

His current pregnancy was being completely different; he’d felt ill almost from day one. 

While everyone assured him that his blood pressure was under control and that both he and the baby were stable, the overall unwell feeling continued. He alternated between being too cold or too hot; he suffered from night sweats; he was constantly tired; and he continued to endure periodic bouts of nausea. His sense of others - his empathy skill - was fuzzy at best, but he could still detect a strong undercurrent of worry in all of them, even if they were trying to block it.

He also observed that only Jack, the Doctor, and his physicians ever touched him. He surmised his immune system was compromised in some way and they were worried about infection; something he had never encountered since his arrival in the twenty-first century. His fifty-first century immune system was simply too advanced for simple infections.

Ianto’s suspicions were confirmed when Petra did not visit him for nearly a week, and Kara, unaware that Ianto was doing a little bit of snooping, innocently mentioned that the technician had a cold.

The assassin knew he wasn’t being told the whole truth about his condition and he even though he understood why. Had the situation been reversed, he would have tried to protect Jack from additional stress and worry over things he couldn’t control. He trusted that if the baby was in immediate danger, Jack would tell him: just like he would tell Jack.

They maintained a status quo for about six weeks. Then, as Ianto approached thirty-two weeks into his pregnancy – two weeks from their initial target date for delivery - the wheels started to come off. 

He began to have a hard time keeping anything down and felt mentally disconnected most of the time. He suspected he was running a fever from the way his skin felt dry and his eyes felt hot behind the lids. When he slept – which was often – he experienced bizarre dreams he wouldn’t be able to remember when he woke. Multiple daily injections and attempts to get him to eat or drink had been replaced by intravenous solutions.

Even had he not been feeling worse, Jack’s increased presence in their room would have alerted him to a problem. The Captain only left Ianto’s side when forced to by Cali, Felix, or a surprisingly gentle and effective Kara. The distress on his partner’s face made Ianto determined to find out what was happening to him and the baby once and for all.

During one of Jack’s rare absences from his side, Ianto found himself alone with the Doctor, who was prattling on about having met Dylan Thomas many years before. “Doctor,” Ianto sighed, finally sick of the Time Lord’s rambling. “You do remember I’m not actually Welsh, right?”

“Of course I do! Of course,” the Time Lord insisted. “You’ve just lived here so long and with your name – well, your history is likely Welsh.”

“It is,” Ianto told him with a nod of his head. “But, what about me makes you think Thomas holds any appeal? If you told me you’d met Garand or Gardiner, I might be interested.”

“You and guns,” the Doctor sighed, clucking his tongue in displeasure.

“Doctor, can we cut through the bullshit?” Ianto asked quietly. “What’s wrong with me? What’s happening to Jack’s son?”

The Doctor did not meet Ianto’s gaze, but began fiddling with some of the equipment. “You know what’s wrong; you have high blood pressure and we’re doing what we can to get you to term.”

“You know,” Ianto said slowly, “we may not like each other, but somehow we’ve come to respect each other. I’ve always assumed you would never lie to me – not when Jack and our family are concerned. Don’t prove me wrong. What’s going on here?”

The Doctor sat in the chair next to the bed. “Jack may regenerate me for this, but you certainly will if I don’t tell you. In your own time, do you ever recall seeing or hearing about a dual male pregnancy?”

Ianto’s brow furrowed as he thought. “No,” he confessed. “A friend of my Tad’s had twins, but he carried both of them.”

“The reason you don’t is that in all of recorded medical history there has never been a case – until now,” the Doctor told him. “Even beyond your time and Jack’s, it never happens.”

“Why?” Ianto asked, not doubting what the Doctor was telling him but trying to make sense of it. 

“The short answer is evolution versus instinct,” the Time Lord replied. “Evolution is why you and Jack – and your sons – can carry children, but its instinct for the paternal parent to protect the maternal one during pregnancy. Even evolution cannot override that basic programming; so a male cannot impregnate his partner, almost from the moment he conceives.”

“Almost?” Ianto raised his eyebrows and gestured to his swollen stomach. “Clearly, there’s a window.”

“There is,” the Doctor said, “but it’s finite and the pregnancy should not be successful. Either the embryo does not implant, or the parent miscarries fairly early.”

Ianto paled at the words, his hand going protectively to his abdomen. “So, how…? I mean, why have we gotten this far?”

The Doctor looked thoughtful. “We only have a theory,” he said. “Based on what we’ve been able to piece together, Jack conceived first, which is why his pregnancy is progressing relatively normally. You conceived shortly thereafter, probably the following morning. Your body tried to reject the foetus the way nature intended, but your immortality fought it. Essentially, your body is at war with itself over the pregnancy.”

Ianto closed his eyes. “My body is trying to kill Jack’s son,” he whispered. “I’m putting him in danger.”

“You need to stay calm,” the Doctor warned him. “This is why we didn’t tell you; we knew you’d take it this way.”

“How should I take it?” Ianto spat. “I’m supposed to protect our children, not kill them when they’re most vulnerable.” He closed his eyes and took several calming breaths. “Okay, what have you all been doing to combat this? Based on the precautions I’ve seen, I assume immune suppressants are involved? Ones strong enough to combat a 51st Century immune system?”

The Doctor nodded. “Your overall immune system is compromised, but we’ve used some ‘advanced’ medications that can target specific anti-bodies. The ones attacking the foetus, to be exact.”

“The baby,” Ianto corrected.

“Sorry?” the Doctor looked perplexed.

“Don’t go all clinical,” the assassin ordered as he stroked his belly. “This is a baby. Jack’s son. It’s not a foetus.”

“Of course,” the Time Lord said. “You’re right. I’m sorry. The immune suppressants and medications for your blood pressure have kept your stable until the past few days, and the baby is growing well.”

“But now I’ve developed an infection, haven’t I?” Ianto asked.

“Yes,” the Doctor told him. “Its low grade, but we couldn’t risk it overwhelming you so we had to reduce the immune suppressors. As a result your blood pressure is spiking again and your kidney function is impaired – that’s why you’re so tired and nauseous.”

“And why you have me on IV fluids and medications,” Ianto surmised.

“We’re using several things,” the Doctor told him. “Including some advanced treatments to try to mature the baby, in case you can’t make it to thirty-four weeks.”

“I’ll make it,” Ianto told him firmly. “There’s no other option. We’ll get him to thirty-four weeks, he’ll be healthy, and he’ll get to be the older brother by over a month.”

The Time Lord took another breath. He knew he needed to be completely honest with the assassin. Jack was prepared for the worst; Ianto wasn’t. “Even if you do hang on until he can survive outside your body, we believe the antibodies have crossed the placenta and will continue to attack him outside the womb.”

“So no matter what I do, he’ll die?” Ianto demanded. “Fuck it. That is not an option. There has to be a way.”

“We’re working on it,” the Doctor assured him. 

“Then work harder,” Ianto snarled. “I’m not letting Jack down like this.”

“Ianto,” the Time Lord said in a surprisingly gentle voice, despite Ianto’s obvious anger. “You’ve fought an incredible battle, but your body is giving up on you. If you were mortal, we would have had to take the baby by now because you’ve already suffered irreversible damage. As it is, it’s highly likely we’ll lose you when you give birth.”

He held up a hand when Ianto tried to argue and added, “I know you’ll come back, but do you think that’s going to make it any easier for Jack? You’re not letting him down; you’ve done more to protect this baby than anyone could ask.”

“You don’t understand,” Ianto said, shaking his head. “What happens to me doesn’t matter. After Dominic and Rory, I wasn’t sure I wanted more children. Every time Jack tried to talk to me about it, I changed the subject. If I hadn’t – if we had planned having a child the way we did with Rory – this wouldn’t be happening, and Jack’s son wouldn’t be in danger because of me.”

“We don’t know that,” the Doctor said calmly. “There’s no guarantee this wasn’t meant to happen.”

“Except that you just said it never should have,” Ianto argued. “But it did, and even after I found out about these babies, I wasn’t sure. I doubted that I wanted Jack’s sons. Now, I might get my wish. If something happens, I’ll never forgive myself because I’m doing this to this baby – I’m killing him.”

“I’m his tad; it’s my job to protect him from whoever is trying to hurt him. But this time there isn’t anyone else; it’s my body that’s fighting him. How can I protect him from myself?” he asked, tears falling unchecked from his eyes.

“If something happens to him, Jack will never forgive me. You don’t know what losing Megan did to him. His and Ben’s relationship ended because of it. If I lose Jack’s son, I’ll lose him, too. After everything we’ve been through in the past, this will destroy us.” He took a deep breath. 

“I’ve never begged you for anything, Doctor,” Ianto whispered, all anger suddenly gone and replaced by fear. “You know that’s not who I am, but I am begging you now. Find a way to save Jack’s son. Please.”

“I’ll do everything I can, Ianto,” the Doctor told him. “I promise.”

Neither the Time Lord nor the assassin saw Jack standing outside the room, tears coursing down his cheeks, as he heard every word of the exchange.

 

~

TBC


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

A week later, at just over thirty-three weeks, Ianto crashed. As his blood pressure again spiked, his kidneys started to fail and fluid began to collect around his heart and in his lungs. They started round the clock monitoring of both him and the baby and gave him oxygen to help make him comfortable, but they were soon forced to take even more drastic measures.

Jack leant back in the chair and pressed the heels of his hands against his tired eyes. Ianto had been unconscious – an electronically induced semi-coma using technology from the TARDIS – for twelve hours as a last attempt to lower his blood pressure, stabilise his condition, and keep their son safe a little longer. 

The Doctor thought it might buy them a few days or a week at the most, but even that short time brought them precariously closer to the thirty-four week mark and gave them more time to figure out how to treat the baby for the anti-bodies after his birth. Immune suppressants would not work in an infant, especially a premature one. They had to attack the problem directly.

They had continued to give the assassin medications to mature the baby’s lungs and other organs, but they had to watch the dose carefully. In Ianto’s weakened state, too high a dose could further damage his kidneys and raise his blood pressure, which would likely be devastating for the baby. 

“Damn it, Ianto,” Jack muttered, lowering his hands and staring at Ianto’s still form. For a moment the only sound in the room was the beeping from the machine keeping an eye on Ianto’s vital signs and the baby’s condition.

Logically, Jack knew that Ianto would physically recover. Emotionally, he knew, was a completely different story.

“I heard what you said to the Doctor last week,” he whispered, reaching out and taking Ianto’s hand in his own. “How could you think I wouldn’t forgive you if something happened to our son?” he asked the still form before him. “Ben and I didn’t end because of what happened to Megan.” He shook his head, “Okay, she was part of the reason, but we… We were never meant to be together. I know that know. You and I are; we’re meant to be with each other.”

“You called him my son,” Jack continued as though Ianto could actually hear him. “It’s not the first time you’ve said that. I’ve never heard you call either of these babies your children. It’s almost as if they’re something you owe me, but you’re wrong. This baby – these babies,” he corrected himself, looking down at his own swollen stomach, “are every bit as much yours as they are mine. Please keep fighting,” he begged, closing his eyes and fighting down tears. “The Doctor told me what’s happening to you – what he thinks is happening to you. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I knew you’d blame yourself, and it’s not your fault.”

Jack pressed a kiss to their clasped hands, before slowly raising his eyes to look at his partner. “If he’s right and this doesn’t work, we’ll need to deliver him to give him a chance. I just… I don’t want to believe that something could happen, but if something does go wrong, don’t blame yourself, okay?”

He chuckled weakly and kissed the back of Ianto’s hand again. “I know that’s a stupid thing to ask. Of course you’re going to blame yourself, you always have done. But… Just know that I don’t blame you, okay?”

Jack stood up and leant over the bed, pressing a kiss against the assassin’s unresponsive lips. “I love you,” he whispered, brushing Ianto’s short fringe away from his forehead, “and could never blame you for anything. I’m not letting you fight this alone anymore. There are four of us in this family. We’re going to work together.” 

He’d made a decision. He couldn’t stand helplessly by any longer. The key to saving the baby inside Ianto was likely the baby he carried. He had an idea how to make that happen; he just had to see if the Doctor, Tim, and Gwyn thought it was possible.

~

 

TBC


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

After asking Felix in to sit with Ianto – he didn’t want his partner alone for a second - Jack called their medical team into the conference room. He looked at all of them. “Worst case scenario, how long do we have before we have to deliver the baby Ianto’s carrying?”

“We’re hoping to get another week or more from the sedation,” Tim began.

“That is not what I am asking!” he shouted, slamming his hand on the table, making the other occupants of the room jump. “Forget for a minute that I’m pregnant and the other parent of that baby Ianto is carrying. Talk to me like your Captain. If what we’re doing doesn’t work, how long do we have?” 

Tim hesitated, before admitting, “Realistically, if we can’t get the blood pressure down and stabilise Ianto’s kidneys, we’ll have to induce labour and deliver that baby in thirty-six to forty-eight hours.” He had taken on the task of learning everything he needed to about the delivery while the Doctor focused on managing Ianto’s pregnancy complications.

“Why induce labour?” Gwyn asked, a frown crumpling his forehead slightly. “We know we have to deliver via C-section, anyway.”

The Doctor explained for Tim. “In females, the uterus is made up of muscle tissue designed to aid with birth. In males, there is no birth canal so the womb is less elastic, since its primary role has become to protect the baby during pregnancy. It’s so rigid that contractions are needed to relax the muscle enough to allow for a safe delivery. Otherwise, the parent bleeds to death before the baby can be extracted. Most times, the baby dies as well from oxygen deprivation.”

“So, we have to allow for Ianto to be strong enough to withstand three to four hours of labour, at least,” Tim added. “That has to be taken into account when we decide how long to wait.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Gwyn asked quietly, staring down at the conference table in front of him. “I’m his doctor, too.”

“He’s your Grandpa, Gwyn,” Tim explained softly. “We didn’t want to worry you.”

“Okay, that stops now,” Jack ordered with his Captain persona firmly in place. “Just because Ianto is Gwyn’s Grandpa doesn’t mean you can exclude him from this. Gwyn is as much a part of Ianto’s medical team as Tim is. He needs to know everything, understood?” 

As Tim and the Doctor nodded and Gwyn looked on in astonishment, Jack continued. “Okay, so say we have thirty-six hours until the baby is born; to keep things on the low end. What are his chances?”

“With the medications we’ve been giving Grandpa and, provided we don’t encounter the problems I just found out about, the baby has a good chance of making it through delivery,” Gwyn said. He’d been working the neonatology end of the problem. “All things being equal, he might spend some time on oxygen and in an incubator, but he’d have pretty decent odds overall.”

“Except all things aren’t equal, are they?” Jack demanded. “We still have the antibodies to worry about. What do we know on that front?”

“We’re not certain,” the Doctor said, “but everything points to them crossing the placenta. He’ll almost certainly need his blood replaced after birth.”

“And the best source for that remains cord blood from his brother, who is not due to be born for more than six weeks,” Jack said with a sigh. “Would he have that long?”

“No,” the Doctor replied honestly. “He’ll have a day or two at the most. Once the cord blood is available, the process is similar to what a patient getting a bone marrow transplant would endure; but with the TARDIS I can make it a great deal less traumatic for him and pretty much guarantee it will work if there are no other problems.”

Jack let out an audible sigh of relief and the Doctor continued, “The issue would then become getting the cord blood to him. We know that the antibody levels are so low in your blood, Jack, that they likely aren’t crossing the placenta, but your blood isn’t what we need. We need cord blood from the baby you’re carrying.”

“Okay, so worst case scenario, we have three days.” Jack ran his hands through his hair, and then looked at his medical team. “Do the medications you’ve been giving Ianto to mature the baby he’s carrying pose any risk to the child?”

“No,” Tim said. “We’ve had to keep the doses low because of Ianto’s condition, since raising his blood pressure or sending him into renal failure would hurt the baby, but the medications themselves are safe for the child, according to the Doctor.”

“Jack, you’re brilliant!” the Time Lord grinned, knowing why the Captain was asking about the medications. They had been so fixated on treating Ianto and getting the baby he carried safely delivered that the idea of accelerating Jack’s delivery had not really occurred to them; especially given his vehement opposition to that when Ianto had first fallen ill.

“Do we have enough time?” the Captain asked.

“We might,” the Doctor told him. “We just might.”

“Erm, English for the mere mortals among us?” Tim suggested.

“Speak for yourself,” Gwyn grumbled, scowling at his great-grandpa and granddad. “I’m a Time Lord and I don’t get what the hell they’re talking about.”

“We’re going to give Jack the same medication and accelerate the maturation process for the baby he’s carrying,” the Doctor explained. “If we can get this baby mature enough, we can induce Jack’s labour and harvest the cord blood for the infusion.”

“Hang on a second,” Gwyn instructed, holding his hand up and staring at his grandfather. “What would Grandpa say to you putting one of your sons at risk, even if it was to save the other? Would you have traded Uncle Nick’s life for Papa’s?”

“No! Of course not; you know that. I’m certainly not doing that now,” Jack said patiently. “We’re just going to come at this problem two ways. We try to buy time for Ianto until he has to deliver, while we get me closer to being able to give birth safely, without additional risk to this baby. When the time comes, if all three of you cannot assure me that he’s ready and will survive - barring anything unforeseen - then we don’t take him until he is. I’m not making the decision to deliver him early yet; I’m just giving us the option.”

“I think this can work,” Tim said hopefully. “We’ve had to use very low doses with Ianto. Unless you start to exhibit side effects, we won’t have to with you. The Doctor says this medication is designed to work in a few days’ time.”

“Gwyn?” Jack looked at his grandson. “You know I wouldn’t put my child - any of my family - at risk. Do you understand why I have to do this?”

“Yes,” Gwyn told him. “You’re doing the right thing.”

“Okay.” Jack stood with some difficulty. “Let’s get started, because we’re in a race against time.”

“That’s the type of race I’m best at,” the Doctor told him with a grin that didn’t quite each his eyes.

~

TBC


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Cali looked up when she sensed someone approaching. She smiled when she saw her dad standing a few feet away. “I did let people know I was going out for some fresh air,” she pointed out.

“I know,” Felix agreed with a nod of his head. “I just thought you might want this.” He nodded to the cup in his hand. “It’s not your Grandpa’s, but your Granddad didn’t make it, so at least it doesn’t taste like tar. It’ll do for now,” he added, handing her the cup and sitting down on the wall next to her. 

“It’s been a while since you’ve been here,” Felix observed. “It was before you went to America, wasn’t it? I haven’t lived here for years,” he added, looking up at the now empty house.

The house was still owned by him, and he paid someone to keep the inside clean and tidy the garden. But he had moved out when Cali and Gwyn had moved out.

Cali sighed and looked up at the house she had grown up in. “I guess Gwyn going to visit Papa made me realise how much I miss him as well.”

Felix smiled sadly and ran his hand over her blonde hair. “You don’t have to be the strong one all the time, honey,” he whispered. 

Cali nodded her head firmly. Her lip quivered a little and she bit it to stop herself from crying. “Yes, I do,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears. “Gwyn needs me to be…”

“He needed you to be strong when he was a kid,” Felix argued, wrapping his arm around her. “After what happened to your Papa…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know I wasn’t the best father to you both.”

“Yes, you were!” Cali argued, turning her head to look at her dad. “You were grieving!”

Felix nodded and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. “You’d just lost your Papa; you needed me to be there for you and I wasn’t. I couldn’t handle losing him; it still hurts to even think his name and it’s been over a hundred years.”

“Sometimes I wonder if Gwyn suffered from not having Rory there,” he confessed, looking back at the house and swallowing around the lump in his throat. “You were eleven; you’d known him for a lot longer than he had. But then I look at him, and how intelligent and brilliant he is, and I feel so damn proud. Of you.”

Cali sniffled and ran her hand across her cheek. “Of me?” she whispered, resting her head on Felix’s shoulder.

“When your Papa passed, and I wasn’t around much,” Felix began, remembering how distant he had been for years following his partner’s death, “you were the one that took care of Gwyn. You didn’t have to do that,” he added. “You could have let your Granddad and Grandpa take care of you both, but you didn’t. You became his Papa for him.”

They fell silent for a moment, until Felix asked, “Where have you been staying since you got back here?”

Cali blushed and looked away, biting her lip as she refused to answer him. Felix sighed and shook his head, “Why did I ask?” He rolled his eyes. “You need to be careful, honey,” he cautioned. “The instant your Grandpa gets his gun back, he’ll likely shoot Tim for touching you.”

Cali chuckled and rolled her own eyes. “Why do you all think I can’t take care of myself?” she muttered.

Felix laughed and hugged her tightly. “We know you can take of yourself, honey,” he assured her. “At the moment you’re the only girl in a family of males; I actually think your grandparents are trying for an all-male football team. Its instinct for males in a pack to protect the females; even if said female was trained by an assassin.”

The older Time Lord reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, placing them in her hand. “I have a feeling that when everything is sorted with your Granddad and Grandpa we’ll be needed here for a while longer. I want you to fix this place up, honey. Decorate it how you want,” he instructed.

“Dad…?” Cali whispered, looking at him in confusion.

“I’ve still got the apartment on the bay,” he told her; referring to the apartment he had purchased several decades before. “The house has been empty since you got the job in London and Gwyn went to University. It’s time it had a Ryman living in it again.”

Cali’s eyes flickered up to the house and back to Felix, “But it’s too big for one person,” she whispered; the house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large dining room, kitchen and living room.

Felix smirked and pressed another kiss against her forehead. “I never said you had to live here on your own, honey,” he murmured.

~

TBC


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Four days after Ianto was placed in the light coma, Jack was in his usual place by his side. He rarely left these days, and when he did it was to eat and rest for the sake of their other son. He owed Ianto that much, considering how hard the assassin was fighting to protect the baby he was carrying.

They’d started the medications to mature the baby inside Jack over seventy-two hours before, and he was not showing any ill effects. Tim and Gwyn’s latest tests indicated that the baby was maturing at the rate they had expected. They thought it would be safe to deliver him in another day or so.

If the baby inside him reached maturity before Ianto delivered, Jack knew he had a decision to make. They could wait to see if the baby Ianto carried went to term or even needed the cord blood; or they could induce Jack’s labour and the cord blood would be ready if, and when, it was needed.

Jack knew his medical team was lobbying to deliver the baby as soon as it was mature so the cord blood would be available; thereby avoiding any critical delays once Ianto delivered. Jack wasn’t sure, and that bothered him. It was made worse by Ianto being unreachable for the time being. The assassin had always been the one person Jack could talk to in moments of indecision.

“You need to eat something,” a soft voice whispered from beside him. 

Jack looked up in surprise and saw Kara standing next to him, with a tray of tea and sandwiches in her hands. She’d become like a mother hen with all of them. She made sure he, Tim, Gwyn - and even the Doctor - ate. Sometimes, she’d just come and sit with him and hold his hand. She didn’t feel the need to talk to him or reassure him like the others did. Jack was grateful for that, even if he did see his own fear reflected in her eyes.

“Thanks, Kara,” he replied. “For all of this. We couldn’t have made it this far without you.”

“When I first came here, I was lost,” Kara told him. “I wasn’t sure how I would fit in. This felt like another place I wouldn’t belong. You and Ianto never let me feel that way. You’re my family. What else would I do?”

“You sound like Ianto,” Jack told her, nodding to his partner’s still form. 

She smiled and moved over to the Doctor. “You need to eat as well,” she told him firmly.

“Yes, yes,” he muttered, not looking away from where he was checking some readings. “Let me just…”

“Have those changed in the past twenty-four hours?” Kara demanded, setting the tray down and placing her hands on her hips.

“Well, no,” the elder Time Lord admitted, a blush gracing his cheeks.

“And are they likely to change in the next ten minutes?” she asked.

“Again, no,” the Doctor replied, a pouting forming on his lips.

“Then sit and eat,” she said, directing him to the chair next to Jack. “I’ll be back in half an hour to get the tray, and I expect to find it empty.” She waited for their nods of agreement, before leaving with a smile on her face.

Jack shook his head at the expression on the Doctor’s face. “She told you,” he taunted, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile.

“Yes.” The Doctor looked thoughtful. “What’s her story, Jack?”

“She’s the great-granddaughter of an old friend,” the Captain said. “She hasn’t been what people would call ‘right’ since birth. She’s highly intelligent, but there’s a disconnect somewhere. It’s what the Twenty-First Century might have called very mild autism or something related, before they understood you couldn’t lump all those conditions together. Whatever is wrong with her, no one has ever been able to diagnose it.”

“Well, no,” the Time Lord muttered, “they wouldn’t have been able to.”

“Doctor,” Jack looked at him intently. “Do you know what’s wrong with her? Can you help?”

“I think so,” the Doctor told him. “I’ve gotten her on the TARDIS a couple of times and done some scans. It wasn’t easy, because I didn’t want to spook her.”

“You should have at least told me,” Jack growled protectively.

“Easy, Captain,” the Time Lord replied. “I know you’re protective. I cleared it with Cali – who I’m pretty sure you put in charge of this circus - and with that trigger-happy young lady, Petra; she made sure I knew where she would aim if anything happened to Kara. Are you sure she’s not related to Ianto?” he questioned.

“I’m pretty certain,” Jack scoffed with a shake of his head. “Doctor, I know it’s hard for you, but could we focus on Kara, and worry about the other social misfit on my team later?” Jack demanded.

“What do you know about the Vinkrar?” the Doctor eventually asked.

Jack frowned, trying to think back to his history lessons from when he was younger. “If I remember correctly, they were regarded as very violent and were to be avoided,” the Captain answered. “Then about two millennia before I joined the Time Agency their society changed abruptly and they began to focus on art, storytelling, and all manners of creativity.” 

He smiled wistfully, “The best chef I ever met was a Vinkrar, actually. No one ever knew what caused the change; they knew only that it happened quickly.”

“The Vinkrar were violent by nature,” the Doctor agreed. “It’s how their brains were wired. They had all this energy and passion, but no way to direct it other than war and conquest. Many species start out that way, but they eventually evolve. The Vinkrar never did, until the Thirtieth Century, that is.” 

“They encountered a nanogenic species called the Sinthe. The Sinthe had been driven from their home and needed sanctuary. They had taken over the bodies of a few Vinkrar to communicate, but proposed a symbiotic relationship. They would live inside the Vinkrar’s brain, cutting off the violent part of them and channelling the passions to other uses. They would not control actions, emotions or thoughts, since they had their own.”

“Each Vinkrar became host to a colony of the Sinthe. The only issue was that the Sinthe live much longer than the Vinkrar, so when a Vinkrar died, the Sinthe had to migrate to a new host.”

“That makes sense,” Jack nodded, having heard of other symbiotic races before.

“With a steady birth and death rate, and an insular society, it really wasn’t an issue,” the Time Lord continued. “However, occasionally a Vinkrar would leave their world and encounter an untimely death. The Sinthe would die as well, unless an undeveloped mind was nearby to host them. If it was, they instinctively sought it out.”

Jack nodded, remembering. “When Kara was about a month old, her mother had taken her out for a walk and witnessed a RTA. A man was killed,” he recalled. “There was something not quite right about him, so we were called in. His body is still in cold storage.”

“Once the crisis here has passed, I’ll take a look,” the Doctor told him. “If I’m right, he was a Vinkrar, and Kara was close enough that the Sinthe migrated over. They didn’t do her any physical harm, but they naturally shut off one part of the brain from the other.”

“Can you remove them?” Jack demanded, finding the idea that Kara could have a normal life thrilling, even under these circumstances.

“Not here,” the Doctor told him. “I’d have to take her to Vinkrar so the Sinthe can be transferred. If I remove them, they’ll die. They’re sentient and benign. I can’t just murder them.”

“No, of course not,” Jack muttered, thinking Ianto was not going to be happy about the idea of Kara going with the Doctor. Perhaps Felix or Cali would agree to go along to protect the young woman.

Before Jack could suggest that, alarms on the equipment monitoring Ianto and the baby began to sound. On the bed, the assassin’s body went rigid then began to shake uncontrollably.

The Doctor ran to his bedside as Tim and Gwyn came racing into the room, Cali hot on their heels.

The young female Time Lord kept Jack back; pulling him to the side and giving the medical team room to work.

Finally, the Captain couldn’t take it any longer. “What’s happening to them?” he demanded.

Without looking up, Tim replied, “His blood pressure is in the dangerous range again, and he’s having convulsions. We have to get it down or he’s going to go into labour and he’ll never survive long enough for us to safely deliver the baby.”

Jack sagged a little against Cali, who held him tightly as they both watched the life and death struggle in front of them.

~

TBC


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The Doctor, Gwyn, and Tim had managed to stop Ianto’s convulsions and reduce his blood pressure slightly, but within minutes the monitors began to show intense contractions of pre-term labour. Ianto was thirty-three weeks and five days into his pregnancy.

“Can you stop them?” Jack demanded. “They just need a couple of days before Tim said it would be completely safe. Ianto’s tried so hard. Can’t we give him that?”

It was Gwyn who answered. “I’m sorry, Granddad,” the young Time Lord knelt in front of him. “Grandpa is too weak. He could arrest at any time and we could lose them both before we can get the baby out.”

“We’re going to have to let the labour progress. We can’t risk taking the baby until the uterus is more pliant,” Tim told him. “The Doctor is evaluating the baby’s maturity now. Based on the data, I’d like to get us five hours or so of contractions to make the uterus pliable enough for a reasonably safe delivery.”

“Can he handle that?” Jack demanded, returning to the bed and taking Ianto’s hand in his. 

“We’re monitoring him,” the medic assured him. “If I start to see problems with his heart rate or oxygen levels, we’ll take the baby and do everything we can to get him out quickly.”

Jack closed his eyes. He could barely get the words past the tightness in his throat, “Remember what Ianto said,” he choked, his voice hoarse. “The baby comes first.”

“We know,” Gwyn assured him, then looked down at his Grandpa. “He’d want us to wake him up. He’d want to be aware for the delivery.”

“No,” Jack said resolutely. “I don’t want him in pain or afraid.”

Tim and Gwyn exchanged glances. “Before we sedated him, Ianto told us that if it wasn’t a risk to the baby, he wanted to be awake for the birth,” the medic said.

“We have to honour those wishes,” Gwyn said resolutely.

“Can we wait a while?” Jack begged. “I don’t want him in pain any longer than necessary.” He also wanted the Doctor’s test results. If the baby was too immature to survive, he didn’t want Ianto to have to endure what might happen at his birth.

In the end, they came to a compromise and agreed to wait as long as they could. Bringing Ianto around would only take minutes, so they would wake him in four hours or if delivery were imminent. Carefully, Tim, Gwyn, and Felix moved Ianto from the bedroom to the medical bay while the Doctor conducted his tests, and Cali tried to get Jack to rest for a bit, promising to call him as soon as they knew anything. Jack only agreed to sit in a chair in the medical bay; he refused to leave Ianto.

Ianto had been labouring for about two hours when the Doctor came into the medical bay. He sat next to Jack. “The baby is mature,” he stated. “He’s going to be on the small side, and we’ll need to watch him carefully for a while, but he can survive outside the womb.”

“Unless the antibodies have crossed the placenta,” Jack added, having heard it so often that he knew what the biggest concern was. “I want you to run the same tests on this little one,” he said running his hand over his stomach. “If the antibodies are an issue, we’ll need to know the moment we can deliver him.”

The Doctor nodded, a frown creasing his brow. “Jack,” he swallowed deeply. “You’re planning on being here during Ianto’s delivery, aren’t you?” he accused the Captain.

“Where else would I be?” the immortal demanded. “Nipping out for a smoke?” he snapped.

“Easy, Captain,” the Time Lord placated his friend, knowing he was terrified. “I want you to think about this carefully. Ianto’s body is terribly weakened. The baby has to be our priority. The chances of Ianto surviving the delivery are virtually non-existent. Will it do you, or that baby you’re carrying, any good to watch that? We don’t need you going into labour or distress as well.”

“I know that, Doctor,” Jack replied. “And I’m going to do everything I can to stay calm, but I will not leave him. He never lets me die and come back alone if he can help it; I owe him the same consideration. More than that,” his voice broke and he brought it under control with effort. “If the worst happens to our son, I need to be with him. I know what that feels like. I am not letting him have to deal with that on his own.”

“I figured you would say that,” the Doctor explained. “Which is why I came in here with a Plan B. Will you let me help you?”

“How?” Jack looked sceptical.

“I can do a mild psychic block on you,” the Time Lord explained. “That will keep down the worst of the panic and the fear. You’ll still feel the emotions, but the physiological responses – the adrenaline, the increased heart and breathing rate – won’t be there.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Jack asked softly, his eyes never leaving Ianto’s prone form.

“No,” the Doctor told him. “It’s the only way we’re going to allow you in there as your medical team. For what it’s worth, Tim and I suggested simply sedating you. Gwyn argued you had a right to be there and that you’d never forgive us if something happened and you weren’t with them.”

“He’s right,” Jack snarled. “Do what you need to,” he ordered.

 

~

TBC


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

After the Doctor had performed the psychic block, Tim and Gwyn came into the room looking grim. “We need to wake him,” the younger Time Lord said.

“Why?” Jack demanded. “You said it was going to be five hours at least before you could deliver. He’s got almost another three to go. We agreed to wait until an hour or so before we wake him.”

“They haven’t got three hours,” Gwyn said gently to his grandfather. “Grandpa’s heart rate and breathing are becoming erratic. We’re going to have to deliver the baby in the next hour, if not sooner.”

“Can you without…?” Jack’s voice broke. “Without losing them both?”

“We’ll do everything we can,” Tim assured him. “We found some advanced surgical technology in the archives – I should say Felix found it; I think he agrees with Ianto that no one should be allowed in Ianto’s archives. He was pretty sure it was down there, but it took him a while. It will reduce the time we need to get the baby out. It’s a much better chance than we have if Ianto arrests.”

“Wake him,” Jack whispered, moving closer to his partner’s head, knowing that he would be in pain and disoriented when he woke up.

The Doctor changed some settings on the device that was keeping Ianto sedated. When it beeped, he removed it then stepped back. The assassin moaned, and then cried out. They were the first sounds he’d made in four days.

“Ianto,” Jack whispered, holding his hand tightly. “Stay calm. You’re in labour. Tim, the Doctor, and Gwyn are here. They’re going to deliver our son.”

Ianto blinked as the memories of agreeing to the induced coma came back to him. “How long was I out?” he demanded, his voice scratchy from disuse. “Can I get some water?”

“Nothing to drink,” Tim replied regretfully. “I have some ice chips here you can suck on.” He handed them to Jack who began to administer them to his partner. “You were out for four days,” the medic told him. “Earlier today, your blood pressure spiked again and you went into convulsions. They triggered premature labour.”

“I’m… that would make me thirty-three weeks and five days,” Ianto concluded, wincing as a contraction hit. “He’s not ready. Can you stop the labour?”

“No,” Gwyn told his grandfather. “Your body is shutting down. Great-grandfather says the baby is fully mature, but we have to take him now, before you arrest on us and we lose you both.”

“How long have I been having contractions?” the assassin asked.

“Not quite three hours,” Tim admitted.

“That’s not enough,” Ianto said frantically, gasping as another contraction hit. When it was over, he looked around the room. “I’m not letting you do this. I can hold out. If you deliver him now, I’ll bleed to death and take him with me. I don’t care about me. I wouldn’t even if I wasn’t going to come back; but we have to wait. We just have to give him a couple of more hours.”

“We can’t,” Jack told him. He looked quickly at the others. “Give us just a minute, please?” he begged.

The medical team left the room reluctantly, but didn’t go far, waiting just outside the medical bay for them to finish talking. 

Jack looked into Ianto’s eyes. “I know you’re worried about him; and you’re thinking about what happened to your tad and Lee.” Ianto’s eyes darkened at his partner’s mention of his baby brother, but Jack ignored it and took the assassin’s hand in his.

“Ianto, you’ve already done more than humanly possible to get him,” he nodded to the younger man’s swollen stomach, “this far. And I’m so proud of you, but they have to take him to give him a chance. They have some advanced tech and they know they have to focus on the baby; you’ve made it very clear that he’s the top priority. They’ll do everything they can for him; but, for once, you have to let them do their jobs.”

Ianto nodded reluctantly, tears filling his eyes. He was about to speak, when another contraction seized him and he grasped Jack’s hand, moaning painfully as he rode it out. “You should go, Will,” he whispered when the pain had passed for the moment. “I’ll come back, but you don’t need to watch this; not in your condition.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Jack stated. “I’m staying; even if Martha did once tell me you asked for me and your gun while you were in labour with Nick, so you could shoot me.”

“Cali hasn’t let me have a gun for months,” Ianto gasped. “You’re safe for now; but this can’t be good for the baby. Please, Will…”

“The Doctor helped me out a little,” Jack assured him, running a hand over Ianto’s sweaty hair. “I feel the worry, but not the physical effects of stress. We’re okay.”

“Stay with me,” Ianto cried as a hot pain seared through him. “You need to get them back,” he murmured through gritted teeth.

Jack shouted for the medical team, who came flying through the doors - along with Cali. They were all gloved and gowned. As they prepped Ianto, Cali helped Jack into his own gown. “You should go, Princess,” he whispered so Ianto couldn’t hear. “This won’t be pleasant.”

“Like hell,” Cali told him. “I’m here to look after you, so Tim, Gwyn, and Great-grandfather can take care of Grandpa and my uncle.”

“Jack!” Tim shouted. “We need you.”

Jack returned to his partner’s side, noting with alarm his laboured breathing and pallor. “Hang in there,” he whispered, taking Ianto’s hand. His view of the lower part of Ianto’s body was blocked by a drape, but there was a familiar coppery scent in the air that made him queasy. He knew his partner had to be bleeding heavily.

“We’ve numbed him from the chest down,” Tim reported. “We’ve started the incision and have heavy bleeding.”

“Cold,” Ianto muttered, clenching weakly at Jack’s hand as he fought to stay conscious. 

“I know,” Jack told him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “Just hold on.”

“He’s out,” Gwyn called in a strained voice, seconds before a weak cry sounded, not quite filling the room. 

“Hear that?” Jack said to Ianto, kissing his forehead. “That’s our son. You did it,” he whispered.

“See him,” Ianto murmured, his voice slurring.

“Doctor!” Jack demanded. “Let Ianto see our son.” He knew it wouldn’t be long before Ianto died from the blood loss, and he wanted him to see their child before it happened.

Gwyn came around the drape quickly, holding a small bundle. “Here he is, Grandpa,” he whispered. 

Ianto reached out weakly to touch the baby; then his eyes closed and he went limp. Alarms immediately began to shriek, and Tim quickly reached to turn them off, silencing them once more. Cali moved closer to Jack, her hand resting on his shoulder, as he looked at their tiny son, then back at Ianto’s still form. 

“Granddad, I need to take him to the NICU we set up,” Gwyn said quietly. “We need to run some tests.”

“Cali, go with him. Don’t leave him,” Jack ordered. “Everyone else get out. I want to be alone with Ianto.”

Tim started to argue, but Cali shook her head. The medic removed the surgical clamps to allow Ianto’s body to repair itself, before following the others out of the medical bay.

~

TBC


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Almost an hour later, Jack sat holding Ianto’s lifeless body in his arms; tears coursing quietly down his face. The medical bay stank of blood from the emergency C-section as Jack waited for Ianto to come back. Given the damage the pregnancy had done to the assassin’s body and the massive blood loss, he expected it to take him a while to revive; but he was still nearly frantic with worry. Only his concern for the baby he carried and the Doctor’s psychic support kept him relatively calm.

The Doctor and Gwyn had just been in with a medical report on the baby that was neither wholly good nor wholly bad. The baby was currently in an incubator, and it was bothering Jack tremendously that neither of his fathers had even gotten to hold him yet.

They’d also run some other tests on Jack. When those results were back, they had a decision to make. Jack needed Ianto for that; he couldn’t do it on his own.

His whole body seemed to exhale as he felt Ianto tense in his arms, and violently come back to life. “Easy,” he whispered, running his hand over Ianto’s chest in an effort to soothe him. “I’ve got you.”

“The baby,” Ianto demanded, trying to sit up.

“Alive,” Jack told him. “Move slowly. You bled to death; you’ll feel a little light-headed for a while. It takes a while to come back from something like that.”

“I have bled to death before, you know?” Ianto snapped, trying to stop his head from spinning. “This isn’t the first time.”

Jack scowled and ignored Ianto’s jibe; he knew his partner was projecting annoyance to hide his true feelings. “Your body is repairing the damage from the pregnancy and the surgery,” he continued. “But you’ve got to wait until you’re fully healed. If you fall on your arse, you’re staying down there; I can’t pick you up if you do.”

Ianto took several deep breaths and closed his eyes, leaning back into Jack’s embrace. “I want to see the baby,” he eventually whispered, his blue eyes flickering open. “Are you going to help me go to him, or do I have to do it alone?”

Jack stared at Ianto and felt anger well up inside of him, and for the first time in weeks, he didn’t hold back. “Don’t call him that,” he snarled. “You call him what he is, damn you! Call him your son – our son,” Jack hissed. “You gave everything you had to bring him into this world, even your life, but what he needs most to fight right now is our love. Don’t hold that back from him – from either of them.” 

“You haven’t called him yours since we found out about them, and I want to know why!”

Ianto shook his head, blinking back tears, before he sighed and squeezed his eyes closed. “I was afraid to,” he confessed, guilt and regret pouring out of him. “Losing Rory and Dominic hurt so much; I… I was afraid to love like that again. But I do; I love them both, so much.”

“Say it, Ianto,” Jack demanded. “Call him what he is. Otherwise you’re not leaving this medical bay.”

“I want to see my son,” Ianto murmured, clutching tightly to Jack’s arm. “Take me to our son, Will,” he whimpered against his partner’s chest. “Let me see him,” he begged.

Jack smiled and pressed a kiss against Ianto’s forehead. “Felix is right outside,” Jack told him softly. “In a minute, he’ll help you to the shower so you can clean up. Kara managed to find you some clean pre-pregnancy clothes.”

Ianto nodded and moved to get off the bed, only to be stopped by Jack. “Ianto, there’s something else I need to talk to you about,” he confessed.

“He’s bad, isn’t he?” Ianto said simply, instantly recognising the look in Jack’s eyes.

“Physically, he’s small but his lungs and other organs are mature. His reflexes are completely normal, and the scans don’t show any brain swelling, which means he probably wasn’t deprived of oxygen when you started haemorrhaging.” Jack took a deep breath. “Right now, they have him in an incubator and on oxygen and fluids.”

“Why? If he’s mature and . . .” Ianto’s voice trailed off and he sagged against Jack. “The anti-bodies,” he whispered knowingly. 

Jack sighed and pressed a kiss against Ianto’s hair. “Yes,” he breathed, holding him tightly. “Gwyn and the Doctor did some tests. His blood is full of them. They’re starting to cause him some breathing issues. He’s critical, but for now he’s stable at least. Eventually, though, they’ll start to attack all of his organs.”

“Does he even have a chance?” Ianto asked woodenly. “Did he ever?”

“Don’t give up on him,” Jack told him, squeezing him tightly. “We’re working on a way to counteract the antibodies. He just has to keep fighting until we can find a way– we have to keep him fighting.” He ran his hand over his stomach. “He needs an infusion of cord blood from his brother to replace his blood supply. The Doctor says that’s the only way to eliminate the anti-bodies.”

Ianto nodded in understanding. “Like a transplant. His brother’s not due for more than six weeks. Can he survive that long?”

“There isn’t a choice,” Jack told him firmly. They’d discuss delivering this baby early only when Jack knew it was a viable option. “We just have to keep him fighting long enough for this little one to be born.”

“I want to see him.” Ianto managed to pull himself to his feet. “Ask Felix to come in, and then I want to see our son, but promise me something?”

“Anything,” Jack whispered. 

“Once I’m with him, please go get some rest,” he begged, lightly brushing Jack’s stomach. “I need to know that at least one of our sons is safe and healthy for the moment, or I might go mad.”

“He’s just fine,” Jack promised Ianto, covering the assassin’s hand with his own. “I’ll do everything to keep him that way, and we’ll both do everything we have to for his brother.”

“Everything,” Ianto whispered. “Everything.”  
~

TBC


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 40

Ianto sat quietly, watching as their son struggled for life in the incubator. Tim was nearby, monitoring the equipment and the baby’s condition, but he was giving the man time alone with his son, even if the assassin couldn’t actually hold him. 

The baby was hooked up to oxygen, fluids, and a variety of machines; but the assassin knew it wasn’t enough. His own body was fighting him because of anti-bodies that had come from Ianto. Even after having carried him longer than anyone thought possible, Ianto was killing his son. And that knowledge waged war with every instinct he had to protect and nurture his children. 

“Hey, kid,” Ianto whispered, running his fingers over the top of the incubator. “You’re doing so well,” he added, swallowing down the tears that threatened to spill as he spoke. “But I need you to hold out for me a little longer, okay?” he begged.

He heard the door open and looked up to see Tim leaving them alone. “Your brother will be here soon, and you’ll be feeling better when he does, but you have to hold on until then. Your Dad and I will get to hold you soon.” 

The assassin closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall forward a little. “I was scared to think of you as my son,” he confessed, looking down into the small boy’s blue eyes. At some point, the baby had woken up at was staring at his tad with wide eyes. “But, now that you’re here, I can’t imagine my life without you; I don’t want to imagine my life without you. There are so many things I want to teach you and your brother when you’re older.”

“Your dad – he’s the one everyone calls ‘Jack’, but I call him ‘Will’. Don’t worry though, you’ll get used to that – he’ll teach you how to flirt. You look just like him – like your brother Dominic, as well – poor Cardiff won’t know what hit it.”

He chuckled and sat down in the rocking car next to the incubator. “And me… I’ll teach you how to shoot,” he said softly. “A long time ago… A very long time ago, I was an assassin,” he explained. “A pretty good one as well; your dad trained me to be the best. So, any dates you bring home had better be prepared to be grilled within an inch of their lives.”

He smiled and leant back in the chair. “My tad taught me how to shoot,” he whispered, running his fingers through his hair. “I wasn’t very old when he taught me – eleven, I think; it was a long time ago. Your grandfather wasn’t too happy when he found out…”

Ianto trailed off softly, his eyes focused on something in the distance as he recalled the memory…

_“Tad, where are you going?” Ianto asked, sitting on the bottom step as he watched his father move around him._

_Paul Jones looked up in surprise, as though he had forgotten his son was waiting for Paul to take him to his Grandmother’s house. “What?” he asked. “Oh,” he chuckled, running his hand over the back of his neck. “I just have some things that I need to do this afternoon, that’s all.”_

_Ianto stood and moved over to Paul. “Can I come with you?” he begged, taking his father’s hand in his. “I don’t want to go to Grandma’s house,” he added, scowling a little._

_Paul raised an eyebrow and looked down at Ianto. “Why not?” he asked. “I thought you liked visiting.”_

_“I don’t like staying there on my own,” Ianto protested. “It’s boring. There’s nothing to do; she just makes me sit there doing puzzles.”_

_His father laughed and ran his hand over Ianto’s hair. “You like doing puzzles, Ianto,” he reminded his son. “We always do puzzles together.”_

_“Dad always downloads us new ones!” Ianto exclaimed. “Grandma does the same one every time I visit. Please,” he begged, tugging a little harder on Paul’s hand. “Don’t make me go,” he added, looking up at Paul with wide blue eyes._

_Paul tried to resist, but Ianto’s puppy-dog look was very effective and he found it hard to keep his willpower strong. “Ianto, your dad is busy at work and Caleb is at school. There’s no one to look after you.”_

_“Take me with you,” Ianto said, wrapping his arms around Paul’s body and burying his face in his father’s shirt. “Please.”_

_The older man sighed and ran his hand over Ianto’s hair, trying to think of an argument that would work with his son. But he knew nothing he said would convince Ianto to go to his Grandmother’s house._

_“Your dad is going to kill me,” he stated, closing his eyes and sending a silent apology to his partner._

_Ianto beamed widely. “Does that mean I can come with you?” he asked, his eyes lighting up eagerly._

_Paul grinned and nodded his head, squeezing Ianto’s shoulder gently. “Go get your coat,” he instructed, taking a step away from Ianto and moving down the corridor. “We’re leaving soon. Hopefully, we’ll be back before your dad finishes work.”_

_~_

_Ianto was surprised when they arrived at a large circular building. He had been past the building several times in his lifetime, but never actually known what the building was for, nor what it contained._

_“Tad?” he asked, grabbing hold of Paul’s hand as they crossed the road, heading to the building. Paul made some kind of noise to indicate he had heard Ianto’s question, and the young boy continued, “What is in there?” he questioned, following his father into the building._

_Paul sighed and swallowed. “It’s a shooting range,” he informed his son. “Where people come to practice their shooting,” he explained._

_Ianto frowned deeply as he followed Paul over to a small desk at the end of the corridor. He was about to question him, when Paul waved a hand as they reached the desk._

_“What’s this?” a burly man asked the instant he spotted Paul approaching. He nodded to Ianto, “You know kids ain’t allowed here, Jones,” he added._

_Paul flashed him his best smile and reached into his pocket. “I know that, Eric,” he nodded. “But Lewis is at work and Ianto wouldn’t let me leave, so I had to bring him with me.”_

_He pressed a currency disc into Eric’s palm and gripped his hand tightly. “It’s a Sunday morning,” Paul whispered, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a small smile, “I know I’m the only person here.”_

_Eric looked as though he wanted to argue, but eventually he nodded his head, sighing as he reached behind him. “The kid isn’t using a gun, Jones,” he instructed, waving the red disc in the air, before placing it on the desk between them._

_Paul grinned and picked the disc up. “Wouldn’t even dream of letting him,” he assured Eric. “Lewis would have my hide if I did.”_

_Eric rolled his eyes and waved them on their way. “Maybe he should; might actually keep you in line,” he called after the father and son._

_Paul chuckled and placed his hand in Ianto’s, leading him down the corridor. “If your dad asks, we didn’t come here, okay?” he whispered, squeezing Ianto’s hand gently._

_Ianto frowned deeply. “But, why can’t I tell him?” he asked._

_“Because he would actually kill me,” Paul answered, coming to a stop at the end of the corridor and turning left, leading Ianto down another, shorter corridor._

_Ianto fell silent, taking in his surroundings as he obediently followed Paul. The walls were high, bare and painted black; their footsteps echoed off the high ceilings as they walked. After a while, they stopped and Paul placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, making him stay in his place._

_Paul reached up and slid the red disc into a slot on the machine in front of them. When the machine accepted the disc, the machine beeped and Paul quickly tapped five digits into the numeric keypad on the machine._

_“Tad, what is that?” Ianto asked, listening as the machine whirred and flashed._

_Paul grinned down at him. “You’ll see,” he murmured, just as the machine finished making noises._

_A compartment at the bottom slid open with a creak and Paul reached inside, pulling out a black gun._

_Ianto gasped and jumped back, moving away from Paul and staring at the weapon. “What is that?” he asked, licking his lips nervously._

_Paul chuckled and tucked the gun into his belt. “It’s a gun, Ianto,” he said softly, reaching out and taking his son’s hand in his hand. “Come on,” he instructed, tugging lightly on Ianto’s hand._

_Ianto nervously followed and gasped when Paul pulled him into the shooting range. It was eerily silent; the only sounds he could hear were their footsteps echoing around the cavernous room._

_“Tad,” Ianto whispered, feeling like he wasn’t allowed to speak any louder. “How often do you come here?” he asked, looking up at his father._

_Paul shrugged his shoulders, coming to a stop a few feet away from the door. “Couple of times a month?” he ventured a guess. “Sit down,” he instructed, nodding to the stool nearby. “I don’t want you to move a muscle, okay?” he ordered, staring at his son; making sure that Ianto understood what he was saying._

_Ianto nodded his head quickly, rushing to assure Paul that he wouldn’t move a muscle. Paul grinned and ruffled his son’s hair, knowing that Ianto would do as instructed; he was so well behaved that Paul had trouble believing he was actually a real child, sometimes._

_“Put these on,” Paul added, handing a set of ear protectors to Ianto. “This is going to be loud,” he grinned._

_Ianto rushed to comply and sat down as Paul pulled out a pair of protectors for himself, along with a protective visor._

_Ianto did not hear the shots so much as feel them. His entire body vibrated from the noise the weapon made as his tad fired at the target. He felt the vibrations in the soles of his feet, the tips of his fingers, and even his teeth._

_After firing off two shots, Paul lowered the gun and replaced the safety, before turning to Ianto and looking at him with concern written over his face. “Are you okay?” he asked at Ianto’s wide-eyed look, pulling off the ear protectors._

_Ianto didn’t answer for a long moment and Paul looked worried that he had scared his son. After a while, he blinked and met Paul’s eyes with his and grinned. “Can I have a go?” he asked eagerly, removing his own protectors but not moving from his seat._

_Paul’s eyes widened. “What?” He shook his head. “No,” he stated firmly, placing the gun down behind him. “Your dad really would kill me if he found out I let you do that.”_

_Ianto pouted and stood up, not moving away from the seat as he had been instructed. “Please, Tad,” he begged. “I won’t tell him. One shot, that’s it. I swear.”_

_Paul’s jaw was set and he shook his head. “No, Ianto,” he argued. “It’s not going to happen. The puppy-dog eyes won’t work on me this time.” He looked away, trying to not look at Ianto; he knew he would give in if he did._

_He chanced a glance at Ianto and sighed, knowing it had been a mistake. “Fine,” he muttered darkly. “You’re really trying to get me in trouble today, aren’t you?” Ianto continued to look at him with wide eyes. “Well, come here then,” Paul eventually instructed._

_The gun felt strange in his hand. The weight was unfamiliar. He gripped it the way his tad told him and looked down the barrel, concentrating at a point where he wanted - willed - the bullet to go. Planting his feet the way Paul had showed him, he fired._

_When he pulled the trigger, there seemed to be a second of delay then he felt the vibrations back through his arms. He did not expect the power of the recoil. The next thing he knew, he was on his arse looking up at his tad who was trying not to laugh._

_"Everyone ends up down there the first time," Paul explained to his embarrassed son, holding a hand out to help him up. "Next time, you'll be ready. Try again."_

_~_

_Lewis was waiting in the kitchen for them when they returned back to the house. He was sitting at the table, drumming his fingers against the table top in irritation. Paul didn’t need to be an empath to know how pissed off his partner was._

_He looked down at his youngest son and ran his hand over his hair. “Why don’t you go wash up for dinner, kid?” he suggested, grinning down at Ianto and nudging him in the direction of the door._

_Ianto hesitated until Paul pushed him a little harder, and he finally trudged out of the room. He moved towards the stairs and made noises like he was moving up them. He waited until Paul had closed the door a little before he sat down on the bottom step, listening to the conversation._

_“I stopped by your mum’s to pick Ianto up after work,” Lewis said, his voice so low that Ianto could barely hear him. “She told me you’d called and said you were taking Ianto out with you.”_

_He heard the sound of a chair scraping on the floor, before Paul answered, “He wanted to come with me. I just forgot to call you and tell you he wasn’t there. I’m sorry.”_

_“You not calling me isn’t the reason I’m pissed off, Paul,” Lewis said; there was a bang and Ianto assumed he’d just slammed his fist down on the table. “You went to the shooting range today.”_

_Silence followed the statement and Ianto leant around the corner, trying to hear if they were talking, just too quiet for him to hear; but he couldn’t hear anything. After a long time, Paul answered, “You knew I was going there.”_

_“Damn it, Paul!” Lewis snapped. “You took Ianto with you? He’s not even eleven years old, yet. Is that what you want him to grow up knowing? How to shoot a gun?”_

_“He’s the same age I was when I learnt how to shoot,” Paul growled. “Why are you being so unreasonable about this? It’s not like I’ve given him a gun of his own. He fired two shots for crying out loud!”_

_More silence followed and Lewis asked, “Why did you take him with you, Paul?” His voice was soft and completely devoid of the anger it had been previously. “You know how I feel about him being around guns. I don’t even like you going to that damn range.”_

_“I know,” Paul agreed. There was another scrape, and Ianto could picture his tad moving the chair around the table. “But, he begged me and… He’s been so quiet and withdrawn since we moved here, Lewis. I just thought… He’s got such an attention to detail; he’s such a perfectionist. I thought it might boost his self-confidence, you know?”_

_“But, Paul…” Lewis hesitated. “A gun range, though? Couldn’t you have just taken him to an after school club, or something?”_

_Paul chuckled and there was silence for a while longer, before he said quietly – almost too quiet for Ianto to hear, “That’s not the only reason I let him go with me,” he confessed._

_“Paul…” Lewis warned._

_“I wanted him to be able to protect himself against them. Those creatures.”_

_Ianto leant against the wall, listening intently. “Paul, it’s been years since they attacked. It has to be at least a decade. And, even then they only attacked Boeshane. They’ve been silent ever since.”_

_Ianto frowned deeply, wondering what creatures his parents were talking about. He blinked and forced himself to listen once more as Paul continued to speak. “Exactly, it’s been years; how do we know they won’t come back?” Silence followed and he added, “That’s just it, isn’t it? We don’t have any way of knowing when they'll next come. I'm not going to risk him not being able to defend himself."_

TBC


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Ianto recounted every detail he could about his dad and tad to his new-born son, hoping somehow it would give him strength to continue to fight. Looking up at a sound, he saw Jack enter the small room they were using as a NICU. “Shouldn’t you be resting?” he demanded of the Captain. “You promised you would. You’ve had a long day today.”

“Says the man who died giving birth a few hours ago,” Jack quipped darkly as he awkwardly lowered himself to the other rocker Cali had set up next to the incubator. 

“I’m fine,” Ianto retorted. “Completely healed, but I still can’t do anything to save him. You, on the other hand, are nearly nine months pregnant. I need you to take care of yourself until he’s due. I can’t have you and our other son at risk, too. I just can’t handle that.”

Jack reached for Ianto’s hand. “What were you talking to him about?” he whispered, running his thumb over Ianto’s wrist. “Hopefully not the same bedtime stories you used to tell Nick and Rory,” he commented with a smirk. “They all had guns in them. Most kids wanted Thomas The Tank Engine. Our boys wanted semi-automatics.”

Ianto chuckled and smiled at the mention of their eldest sons’ names. “I was just telling him about my tad, and how I was going to teach him how to shoot,” he confessed.

“Ah,” Jack murmured, pulling Ianto closer and pressing a soft kiss against his lips, before pushing him back into his seat. “Because God forbid any child of Ianto Jones doesn’t know how to shoot.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “That’s about as likely to happen as you not teaching them how to flirt,” he quipped.

Jack chuckled and brought Ianto’s hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the gun calloused flesh he loved so much. “How is he?” he whispered, nodding to the small boy encased in the incubator.

Ianto sighed deeply and followed Jack’s gaze. “No worse,” he confessed. “Which is something, I suppose. But he isn’t getting better either,” Ianto added hoarsely. “He’s trying to fight, but his body isn’t strong enough. He’s so tiny, Will. It’s only a matter of time before the inevitable happens.”

Jack shook his head, fighting back tears, but Ianto wasn’t finished, “Without an infusion of cord blood from his brother, he’s not going to make it.” Ianto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Cali was in earlier,” he murmured after a long moment of silence as his eyes flickered open. “She says he needs a name.”

“You don’t agree?” Jack asked gently, running his fingers over Ianto’s hand. He knew that, while the idea of losing this baby was beyond horrible for him, what Ianto was feeling was bound to be a thousand times worse. The assassin had carried their son for so many long, difficult months and done everything possible, including dying, to bring him into the world safely.

Ianto swallowed thickly and it was a moment or two before he could find his voice enough to speak. “It feels like we’re giving up on him,” he confessed softly, his voice almost lost over the beeping of the nearby monitor. “We agreed to name them together. If we name him now, we’re saying we don’t think he’ll ever see his brother. I can’t give up on him, Will. Not now.”

“We won’t,” Jack reassured him. He gestured to the doorway and Tim, the Doctor, Gwyn, and Felix came in; Ianto hadn’t even realised they had been stood there. “The guys have been running some tests,” he told the assassin, placing the hand he was still holding against his swollen stomach. “Four days ago I asked them to start giving me the same medications they were giving you to mature the baby. They assured me there was no risk to him, and they’ve been working.” 

“This little one in here is ready to be born. He’ll be a little small like his brother, but they think he’s going to be as much as six ounces bigger. He’s just had a more hospitable environment to grow in. More importantly, his lungs and organs are all fine. We can expedite the process and deliver him tonight. We’ll give him a chance to save his brother,” he swore, the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile.

Instead of the overjoyed reaction Jack had been expecting, Ianto recoiled with a horrified expression on his face. “Taking a baby early in a male pregnancy is dangerous, Will. You know that! You saw what happened to me – what almost happened to him.” He pointed to the slumbering baby in the incubator. “You promised me you’d keep him safe,” he hissed. “I won’t let you risk one of our sons to save the other. We could lose them both. I can’t handle that. Not again.”

“You won’t,” Gwyn said softly, taking a step closer to the assassin. “Tim, Great-grandfather, and I have been over every scenario. The danger with a pre-term caesarean in male pregnancy comes when the uterus is not elastic enough because the parent isn’t in labour. The parent haemorrhages, and the baby is deprived of oxygen before it can be safely delivered.” 

“In this case, we’ll induce labour with medication before we deliver and let it progress long enough for it to be safe. Grandpa will be uncomfortable for a few hours, but the delivery will be a standard procedure. It will be much less dangerous than what you went through, because Grandpa’s not already in any distress. What happened to you, happened because we couldn’t wait to deliver your baby; you were dying due the complications you’ve been having. We’re not facing that this time.”

Jack made Ianto look at him. “We have to do this. We both know he won’t survive long enough for his brother to be born. If he’s going to have a chance, you have to trust me. I would never put our son at risk, even for his brother. I couldn’t. You know that.”

“I do know,” Ianto agreed, tracing Jack’s cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Okay, we’re having another baby today,” he whispered, before glancing back down at their tiny son; conflict clearly written all over his features. “I should be with you, like you were with me, but I don’t know if I can leave him,” he whispered, hating himself for the words that were coming out of his mouth.

Ianto wasn’t the only one that was torn. Jack wanted Ianto with him and was disappointed that he couldn’t leave the baby, but he understood. He knew if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t have been able to make the choice either. 

“I understand,” he told Ianto, pressing the assassin’s hand back against his swollen stomach. “We’ll be fine. Cali has offered to stay with me, and Gwyn will bring him to you as soon as it’s safe.”

“It’s not enough,” Ianto whispered, tears forming in his eyes. “I want to be there while you’re in labour and when you deliver. I want to see him come into the world and hear his first cry. I want to hold him. I shouldn’t have to choose him over his brother, but I can’t leave our son alone while he’s fighting for his life – when he’s hours old and I haven’t even had him in my arms yet. If something happens and I’m not-,”

“I’ll stay with him,” Tim assured them, not giving Ianto time to finish his sentence. “Gwyn and the Doctor are more than capable enough to handle Jack’s delivery. I’m only seconds from the medical bay if they need me. Cali can help them, while Petra, Kara and Felix watch the Rift. I won’t leave the baby for a minute, I swear. If anything happens, I’ll come for you.”

Ianto looked at their medic, willing him to understand. “I know you won’t leave him and that you’ll take care of him, but… I just want family with him. I want him to know he’s loved and cherished if…” his voice broke.

Not thinking twice about what he was doing, Felix moved closer to the couple and knelt in front of Ianto, resting his hands on his father-in-law’s legs to steady himself. “Do you remember when Gwyn was born, and Rory was so sick?” When Ianto nodded, Felix continued, “When I could barely leave Rory’s side, I trusted you and Jack to take care of Cali and to stay with Gwyn while he fought for his life.” 

“Do you trust me to do the same for you? For Rory? I promise to take care of your son, and Rory’s brother. I won’t leave him until you’re back with him. He will feel nothing but love and strength from me, I promise.”

Ianto choked back tears at the Time Lord’s words and grasped Felix’s hand tightly in his own, nodding his head. “Thank you,” he whispered to his late son’s partner, trying to not let the tears spill; he didn’t have the excuse of pregnancy anymore. “Thank you for still being part of this family, and loving us as much as we love you. Our son chose well.” 

Felix grinned and leant back on his heels, allowing Ianto to stand. The assassin stepped around Felix and carefully helped Jack to his feet. “Come on,” he murmured, tugging on his partner’s hand, “let’s go meet our son.”

Tim looked at the men. “You can stay here if you want, at least for the first couple of hours. We can give you medication and monitor you from here,” he offered. “That way you can be with him.”

Jack and Ianto exchanged a look before Ianto shook his head. He didn’t need to consult with Jack about his decision to not stay in the room; he could tell by his facial expression that the Captain had understood immediately. 

“I don’t think so,” Ianto said softly, glancing down at their small son. “Jack’s going to be in a lot of pain and scared – all of which is natural – and I know for a fact that I’m going to be frantic. Rory was mildly empathic and Dominic could sense people’s strong emotions. If this little guy is anything like his big brothers, he’ll have some kind of ability and neither of us will be in any state to focus on shielding our emotions.”

Jack nodded in agreement and added, “He doesn’t need to feel those things right now. Like Felix said, he only needs to feel love and strength.”

Tim smiled and nodded also, accepting the Captain and assassin’s reasoning.

At the door, Ianto paused and grinned at his partner. “He’s your kid for sure,” he chuckled, a thought just occurring to him. “He’s going to get a chance to be a hero before he’s even an hour old.”

Jack grinned and hugged Ianto as tight as he could. “We’ll have to get him his own coat,” Jack whispered against Ianto’s neck, feeling true hope flare in him for the first time since his partner had gone into labour earlier that day.

~

TBC


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Felix had arranged himself in one of the rocking chairs. Almost instinctively, he found himself singing to the small boy inside. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there when he heard someone clear his or her throat and he looked up to see Tim standing in the doorway. 

“That’s lovely,” the medic whispered, not wanting to break the spell over the pair of them. “The language sounds familiar, but I’m not sure where I’ve heard it.”

“You probably heard it being shouted across the Hub,” Felix chuckled, with a shake of his head. “It’s a lullaby in Jack and Ianto’s native language; they might be from different peninsulas, but they still speak the same universal language. Ianto taught it to Rory when he was carrying Cali, and he taught it to me. I’m surprised I remembered it.”

“Memory is a funny thing,” Tim mused. “But I guess you’d know that.”

“Yeah,” Felix replied with a small shrug. “What are his chances, realistically?”

Tim shook his head. “He’s stable at the moment, but there’s nothing we can do for him without the infusion. It’s really a race against time to see if he can hold on until it’s safe to deliver his brother. They have to let the labour progress far enough for the caesarean to be safe. That could take five hours, or more.”

“You need to hang on, little man,” Felix whispered, looking down at his brother-in-law. “For all of us.”

“I was about to go get some tea,” Tim said. “The monitors are keyed into my Comm., so I’ll know immediately if something happens. Would you like some?”

“Thanks,” Felix nodded appreciatively. “Tim,” he called as the medic was leaving. “Can I touch him?” he questioned, not wanting to touch the baby if it would make things worse.

“Of course,” the doctor replied, starting to move back over. “Wash your hands and use these openings here…” He trailed off when he saw Felix moving to the sink of his own accord.

“I know,” Felix told him with a smile. “Gwyn spent the first several weeks of his life in one of these. Those were some of the hardest few weeks of my life. Trust me, some things you never forget.”

Tim nodded. “I’ll leave you to it then.” He glanced back when he reached the door and smiled sadly, before heading to make their tea.

Felix washed his hands thoroughly with soap and water, before using some antibacterial hand wash, before returning to the rocking chair. Slipping his fingers through the opening in the incubator, he gently touched the baby’s smooth skin, smiling when he felt how warm the baby was. 

“Hey, little guy. I’m Felix,” he introduced himself. “Believe it or not, I’m your brother-in-law; I know that’s complicated. You have one heck of a complicated family tree, but you have a lot of people who love you. There’s me, and Cali and Gwyn, for starters. They’re your niece and nephew.” 

“Their Papa was your big brother, Rory,” he swallowed, choking back tears as he tried to access his memories of his late partner. “Oh, he would have adored you,” Felix breathed. “He was the little brother, you see. He had a big brother, Nick, but he always wanted a little brother or sister to spoil. Even after we had Cali and Gwyn and Nick had his daughter Kat, he used to pester your Dad and Tad about it.”

Felix paused and chuckled, “Just for future reference, pestering your Tad about anything is generally a bad idea. If you want to do something, your Dad will aid and abet; your Tad is more likely to shoot first and ask questions later.” 

He went on to tell the baby all about Rory and Nick. He shared everything he could remember, and then told him about Cali and Gwyn. “Cali will spoil you rotten, kiddo. Gwyn is going to get you into a lot of trouble; he’s got a brilliant mind, but he’s such a troublemaker sometimes.” 

“Then there’s the Doctor. He’s my grandfather, and a close friend of your Dad’s. He’s done a lot to keep you with us; I think your Tad might even be starting to like him. We’re watching for signs of the Universe imploding.” 

He smiled and took a deep breath. “So, see little guy, you have a lot of people who love you. You have to keep fighting. We all need you to do that, but especially your Tad and your Dad. They love you very, very much. I’ve seen what it does to them to lose a child. I don’t want to see them go through that with you; not yet. You hang in there. They’re doing everything they can to get help for you, so you just stay with us until they do, you hear me?”

As he continued to stroke the baby’s back, Felix began to sing again oblivious to Tim and Petra standing in the doorway with tears in their eyes.

~

TBC


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

They decided to let Jack rest in a chair in his bedroom while his labour progressed. After giving him the medications to induce his contractions and hooking a portable foetal monitor to his abdomen, the Doctor, Gwyn, and Cali went to prepare for the delivery. Luckily, Kara and Petra had cleaned the medical bay after the earlier events, so they were not met with reminders of the near-tragedy.

Ianto stayed with Jack, timing the contractions with his stopwatch. He tried talking to him as the first, mild contractions seized him and giving him a hand to hold when the pain grew worse. “I forgot how much this hurts,” the Captain grunted after a while.

Ianto scoffed. “How would you know what it feels like? You spent most of Rory’s delivery unconscious; I didn’t have that luxury. When Rory was born – before everything went to hell - I think Martha’s exact words were ‘sedate him or I’m doing it with a hammer.’”

“No respect for the man about to give birth to your son,” Jack grumbled, a pout forming on his lips. “None at all.”

“That’s not true, and you know it,” Ianto brought Jack’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “I’m so proud of you,” he confessed, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “You’ve been so strong through all of this. You’ve protected that baby inside you and let me do what I had to in order to protect the baby I carried. I know I was a mess when we first found out about them, but I wouldn’t change any of this for the chance to have two beautiful baby boys again.”

Jack shook his head. “You have no idea how hard it was to watch you the last few months, but how inspiring. I’ve always known you were brave, but the last several weeks proved it. I owe you our son’s life. I’ll never forget that, no matter how long we live.” He gasped and clutched at Ianto’s hand as another contraction hit him. “Damn, but these are getting intense. How long have I been in labour?” he whined, looking up at Ianto with wide, pitiful eyes.

Ianto grimaced, feeling pain for his partner. “Two hours,” he stated, not evening needing to look at his stopwatch, or the time. “They do seem pretty close together,” he added, frowning deeply.

“You think?” Jack muttered, a slightly murderous tone in his voice, before he cried out in pain. “Fuck! That hurts.”

“Okay,” Ianto started to move. “Those were less than two minutes apart. I don’t like this at all. I’m getting the Doctor and Gwyn,” he decided.

“There’s no need,” a voice said from the door as the two Time Lords entered. “We’ve been getting readouts all along.”

“You bastards have been sitting in there, staring at a monitor, while I’m in pain?” Jack snarled. “Give me your gun,” he instructed, holding his hand out and looking at Ianto. “I’m going to shoot one of them myself.”

Ianto laughed and shook his head, pressing a kiss against his partner’s sweaty forehead. “I’m not going to let you shoot them, yet,” he whispered. “If you still feel that way in a few hours, I’ll load the gun for you myself,” he assured him with a smile.

The Doctor winced a little at their references to guns, but otherwise remained focused on the situation at hand. “We’re getting close here, Jack,” he stated, looking down at a piece of paper in his hands; the read-outs from the monitor attached to Jack.

“No shit,” Jack snarled, before another contraction hit him and he doubled over, his eyes watering in pain. “It can’t continue like this,” he gasped, terror etched on his handsome features. “The pressure on the baby will be too much. It’ll crush him.”

Gwyn and the Doctor exchanged a look, before the elder Time Lord turned back to Jack. “We need to move you,” the Doctor said. “It looks like this little one is anxious to join his brother.”

This time it was Jack and Ianto that exchanged worried glances. Silently, Ianto began to help the Doctor and Gwyn move the Captain to the medical bay. They both knew Jack had not been in labour long enough to deliver the baby safely.

As they reached the medical bay, Ianto helped Jack into a gown – holding him as two more contractions hit – then got him up on the exam table, watching worriedly as Gwyn and the Doctor ran some scans. 

“Can you stop this or slow it down?” the Captain demanded between contractions. “It’s not safe to deliver him yet.”

“Quite the contrary,” the Doctor assured them with a wave of his hand. “The scans say it’s perfectly safe. Your uterus is pliant and ready.”

“How?” Ianto demanded. Experience told him that was not the way things worked in male deliveries.

“I would think the medications we used to mature the baby had a side effect,” the elder Time Lord confessed, looking thoughtful. “That may also be why we were able to deliver your other son safely. The complications Ianto experienced came from his medical condition, not from the delivery itself.”

“And you didn’t see any of this coming?” Ianto demanded, wincing as Jack squeezed his hand with a cry; his grip seemed to have increased tenfold in a few moments. 

“Well, it’s not like the medications had ever been used on humans before,” the Doctor replied, waiving his hand distractedly again.

“What?” Ianto and Gwyn yelled in unison. 

“You tried untested medication on us and our sons?” Ianto demanded, eyes flashing angrily as his free hand went to the butt of his gun, which he had demanded Cali return right after he gave birth. He’d been letting Jack mangle his other hand, not the one he aimed with; even if it would heal, the assassin in him wasn’t going to let anything happen to his right hand.

“Could we regenerate him later? And no I’m not just trying to find a creative way to stop you. I plan to help, but,” Jack trailed off, groaning again, “someone in this room is having a baby, and it sure as hell isn’t any of you!”

Gwyn rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting as he continued to study the monitors. “We should get moving,” he decided. He draped Jack’s lower abdomen, then gently numbed him from the chest down. “This should work in just a couple of minutes,” he told his grandparents, flashing them a smile as he continued getting ready.

Ianto moved to stand by Jack’s head, holding his hand tightly and wiping his sweaty brow with a damp flannel. “Re-thinking those vasectomies I mentioned?” he quipped in an attempt to distract his partner.

“No,” Jack replied firmly. “You’re never doing this again, but I’m fine. A little pain every century or so is worth it.”

“What do you mean I’m never doing this again?” Ianto demanded, wondering if it was the contractions or the medication that had made Jack daft.

“I am not. Watching. You. Die. Like. That. Again,” Jack gritted out as a contraction hit, then snarled. “Gwyn, when is that damn medication supposed to work?” he shouted at his grandson.

“You’re a miserable patient,” Gwyn informed his grandfather. “Can you feel that?” He pinched the skin of Jack’s side as hard as he could.

“No,” the Captain retorted with a frantic shake of his head. 

“It’s already working then, you drama queen,” Gwyn said with a grin. “Shall we deliver a baby here, Great-grandfather?”

“Yes! By all means!” Jack shouted. “Get this damn kid out of me,” he ordered.

Ianto nodded. “Yes,” he added. “Because we have to fight about your Granddad making my decisions for me.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m just being practical,” he retorted. “There’s no … Ow!” he shrieked suddenly.

“Did that hurt?” Gwyn asked, concern mingling with confusion on his face; Jack shouldn’t have been able to feel anything.

“It’s just a small pinch,” the Captain assured him. “I’ve felt worse. I’m just being a drama queen, right?” 

“You’re always a drama queen,” Ianto snarled. “A controlling, pain in the arse drama queen.”

“Erm, could you two stop fighting?” Gwyn asked nervously. “It’s not the most pleasant sound.”

“It’s not like you’ve never heard it before,” Jack reminded him. “Often.”

“Yes, but I’d prefer it not be the first thing my uncle hears,” Gwyn told him as he helped the Doctor make a final incision.

“Here we are,” the elder Time Lord cried. “Look at him!”

A lusty cry filled the room as the Doctor held a small, wriggling infant aloft so that Jack and Ianto could see him. Gwyn was working quickly to clamp off the cord and preserve every drop of blood that he could. 

The elder Time Lord brought the baby around to his parents and laid him across Jack’s chest. “His colour is good and he’s breathing just fine,” the Doctor said. “I’m going to take the cord blood to Tim so he can prepare the infusion. We’ll work aboard the TARDIS. She can reduce the trauma of the procedure and expedite the process. We should know soon. Jack, Gwyn’s going to use the laser scalpel and get you situated.”

Both immortals made the appropriate noises, but they were too fixated on the tiny life in front of them to really take in any of what the Doctor was saying. “He’s gorgeous,” Ianto whispered, running a finger gently down the baby’s back. “His eyes are shaped like Rory’s,” he murmured.

Gwyn looked up and glanced at the baby, before nodding his head. “Yup, those are Papa’s eyes,” he agreed, grinning at Ianto before returning to his task.

“Hi, little one,” Jack whispered. He looked up at Ianto. “Look at what we did.”

“We did it twice this time,” Ianto replied, kissing Jack’s forehead without removing his hand from the baby’s back. 

“You should hold him,” Jack urged. He knew they were both feeling it keenly that they had not been able to hold their older son before he was placed in the incubator.

“Yeah,” Ianto whispered. He found one of the blankets they had gotten for the babies and wrapped him up as he eased him off Jack’s chest.

“Hey, little guy,” he whispered, carefully cradling their son in his arms. “I’m Tad.” He bent down so Jack could see him as well. “This is your Dad. He is not in charge, even if he thinks he is.”

Jack reached out to touch their son. “Don’t listen to him,” he instructed with a roll of his eyes. “You know what? You have a big brother. Well, only technically and by just a few hours. You’re going to get to meet him very soon,” he promised.

“Very soon,” Ianto assured him with a smile. “They’re going to both be happy and healthy. We may not sleep or have sex for eighteen years, but I don’t care.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jack grumbled. “I’m not being celibate until they go to University; we’ll send them to boarding school if we have to. I’m getting s-e-x in some form before then.”

“You don’t have to spell it out,” Ianto chuckled. “I don’t think he’s going to know what it means yet.”

“He’s our kid,” Jack pointed out. “Knowing what s-e-x is, is ingrained in them from the moment of conception.”

“You’re all set, Granddad,” Gwyn said, interrupting their bickering as he returned to the head of the bed. “Let me take my uncle, check him over, and clean him up. Grandpa, why don’t you go see how my other uncle is doing? I’ll help Granddad to the TARDIS as soon as he’s fully healed.”

Ianto started to protest, but Jack grasped his hand. “Go,” he told him. “Our son and I will be right with you to see his big brother.”

Nodding, Ianto handed their son to Jack. With a kiss to his partner’s lips and the baby’s head, he went to check on their other son, squeezing Gwyn’s shoulder in thanks as he passed.

~

TBC


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

For the first time since they discovered the alien artefact over eight months before, something in their lives actually went to plan. The infusion seemed to be working just the way the Doctor thought it would, and they hoped to have the older Harkness-Jones baby stabilised within two hours of his brother’s birth; but even that short time seemed endless to his fathers.

Jack had been able to move within thirty minutes, and Gwyn helped him into the TARDIS where Ianto sat waiting with their older son. The assassin was gently stroking the baby’s back and speaking to him in their native language. Jack sat next to him and took his hand as they waited.

Without being asked, the young Time Lord had brought the younger baby’s incubator in to join his fathers and brother. “This is mostly precautionary because he’s early,” he told his grandfathers. “He’s fine. Keep him hooked up to the monitors, but you can hold him if you want. I’ll be with Tim and Great-grandfather if you need us.” He waved at the babies in the incubators as he left the room, making Jack and Ianto smile affectionately. 

“How are you doing?” Ianto asked Jack as their grandson left. “Still sore?”

“A little,” Jack admitted, and then looked closely at Ianto’s face. Worry creased his handsome features and made him look so much older than his normal, youthful appearance. “I think you need something,” he decided.

Gingerly, he moved over to the incubator and lifted their younger son, careful to keep the monitors attached as Gwyn had instructed. “Someone wants to see you, Tad,” he said gently, laying the small boy in Ianto’s arms.

“Hey, little guy,” Ianto whispered. “This is your big brother. You know what? You’re barely an hour old and you’re already a hero. Your brother here was very sick, but you’re helping him get well. He should be all fixed soon.”

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved to take Ianto’s place next to the incubator so he could at least touch their other son. “It’s funny. We’ve been thinking about them as twins, but they’ve never actually met.”

“They’re going to be together a lot for the rest of their lives,” Ianto assured him. “Let’s give them a bit longer on their own. They’re so different, Will. This little one here is smaller.” He indicated the incubator. “But he also looks like you and Dominic. But this guy…” He looked down at the baby in his arms, “Other than his eyes, I think this little guy looks like my tad.”

“Except for his nose,” Jack said with a watery smile. He was now stroking their younger son’s back. “I know that nose. I’ve been waking up next to it for over a century.”

“And what makes you think I don’t have my tad’s nose?” Ianto demanded in a whisper. 

“I met your dad, remember?” Jack said, thinking back to their trip to see Ianto’s father right after the horrible events with Caleb. “You have his nose,” he stated, reaching out and tapping Ianto’s nose lightly with his index finger.

Ianto scowled and battled his partner’s hand away. “Should I be worried that you were memorising Dad’s features?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Put me around an attractive man and it’s bound to happen, you know that,” Jack replied with an unrepentant shrug. “Don’t worry; you’re the only Jones I want.”

“Your daddy’s a flirt, by the way, little guy,” Ianto told the baby he was holding. “When you start to date, he’ll be a menace around anyone you bring home. If they can survive his trying to pull them, it’ll be my turn to interrogate them.”

“At gun point,” Jack warned his sons with a serious nod of his head.

They sat that way for some time. Once it became easier for Jack to move, they changed positions periodically so that one of them was holding the baby and the other was touching his brother. They tried to keep the mood light and hopeful by teasing each other and telling the babies stories about their strange but loving family.

When the Doctor, Tim, and Gwyn entered the small medical area on the TARDIS smiling, they found Jack letting their younger son suck on his little finger and Ianto telling their older boy all about Myfanwy. 

“It’s working!” the elder Time Lord told them, the grin on his face getting even wider. “His breathing is stabilising, and the anti-bodies are all but gone. Another few hours and you’ll never know there was anything wrong with him.”

“Thank god,” Ianto breathed. “Can we hold him?” he demanded. “We haven’t even been able to have him in our arms.”

“I think that’s the best thing for him and you,” Tim replied, moving to extricate the baby from the incubator. “We need to keep the monitor on him and the infusion needs to finish, but we can disconnect the oxygen and the other IV. They both should be able to take something by mouth soon.” 

As Gwyn helped, he removed the breathing apparatus and the line inserted in the baby’s right heel. With a smile, the medic nodded at the younger Time Lord.

Gwyn lifted his uncle carefully, whispering a few words in Gallifraen before wrapping him in a blanket and carefully transferring him to Ianto. “Here you go, Grandpa. Meet your son,” he murmured, running a hand over the baby’s hair.

Ianto bit his lip in an attempt to stop himself from crying as he looked down at the tiny miracle he was holding. “Hey, little one,” the assassin whispered, wondering if he was just imagining that he could tell that their older son weighed less and seemed more delicately built than their younger one. Perhaps because of what he’d gone through even before birth, he would always seem more fragile to them. 

He lifted his head and looked over at his partner. “Hey, dad, come over here,” he called Jack over. “Someone wants you to hold him as well.”

Laying the baby he held back in his incubator for a moment, Jack took their older son from his partner. “Hello there,” he murmured. “We are going to have to talk about all of this drama; you’re not even a day old and you’re already a drama queen.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Pot, I really think you should meet kettle,” he muttered.

“My point precisely,” Jack retorted with a grin. “There’s only room for one drama queen in this family and, I’m sorry kid, but I claimed that title a long time ago.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ianto saw their medical team make a strategic exit. “I think they should meet properly,” he told Jack, indicating to their sons. He moved to the second incubator and lifted the baby resting there. Gently, he placed him in the crook of Jack’s other arm. He knelt in front of his partner and kissed both of his sons on their heads, before resting a hand on each one. 

Finally, after all the pain and fear, they were a family.

~

TBC


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The Hub was completely quiet for the first time in over a day. Once Tim and the Doctor were sure both boys were thriving, they had moved the incubators and monitoring equipment into the bedroom Jack and Ianto had been occupying. They assured the worried parents that the monitors were just a precaution and would likely be removed the next day. They could have left the babies aboard the TARDIS or in the makeshift NICU, but they knew Jack and Ianto would not leave them and they wanted the men to get some rest, too.

While everyone wanted to meet the babies, the medical team thought it best to wait until the next day in order to give both fathers and children time to recover from the day’s traumatic events. Cali had forced Kara and Petra to leave the Hub and had taken Tim home herself. Jack and Ianto were in full-on denial about what that meant; Ianto was actually seriously considering Retcon. 

Felix, the Doctor, and Gwyn were resting in the TARDIS, which was keyed into the monitors attached to the babies and would alert the Time Lords if anything went wrong. The ship was also watching the Rift alert programs so that all bases were covered.

The Doctor had been in earlier to check on the boys and had opened the incubators so Jack and Ianto could touch and remove their sons as needed. 

“They’ll want to eat soon, I suspect,” the Time Lord said. “We gave them IV nutrients and fluids earlier, but if they start to want to eat, I think letting them try a feed is a good idea. Get some rest while you can,” he told the men. “Felix and I will come help feed them if we need to. Gwyn may actually be scared of them. I’m going to have to have a long talk with that boy,” he muttered as he wandered back towards the TARDIS.

Jack and Ianto found themselves chuckling at the Doctor’s words. “Poor Gwyn,” Jack sighed. 

“He did really well with all of this – especially today,” Ianto reminded his partner.

“I keep thinking he’ll grow out of his awkward stage, but he just never has,” Jack said with a sigh. “Don’t worry, boys. I think it’s Time Lord genes, so you’re safe,” he told his sons.

“You know, we can’t keep calling them ‘boys,’ ‘little one,’ ‘little guy,’ ‘this one,’ and ‘that one’,” Ianto noted. “They need proper names.”

“I know,” Jack replied, resting a hand lightly on their older son’s back. “There’s been so much going on today, I haven’t had time to really think about it.”

“I had Cali bring me that baby name book we were looking at. I have a couple of suggestions,” Ianto said, looking almost shy for the first time in as long as Jack could remember.

“You’re the brains behind this operation; we all know that,” Jack smiled, moving to snuggle closer to his partner. 

Ianto indicated their older son. “He had such a hard road to get here; I wanted a name that indicated that, so he’ll always remember he can do anything. He’s already beaten the odds just by being born and surviving. What do you think of Landon? It means ‘long hill’.”

“Landon Harkness-Jones,” Jack tested the name. “I really like it. What do you think, Landon?” The baby snuffled a little in his sleep at the sound of his Daddy’s voice. “I think he likes it, too.”

“Landon it is then,” Ianto managed to choke back tears. Even just a few hours before, he was sure their son would not see morning. Now they were naming him and his brother and they had their whole lives ahead of them. 

“And how about our little hero, over here?” Jack asked, indicating to their other son. “Any ideas for his name, as well?”

“I didn’t even have to look that one up,” Ianto told him with a smile. “Nathan. It means ‘he gives’. He’ll always know his first act in this world was to give his brother life.”

“Nathan Harkness-Jones. What do you think kiddo?” Jack asked, tracing a single finger gently along the baby’s cheek and smiling when his son took hold of it in his sleep, refusing to relinquish his tight grip. “I’d say that’s a yes, Tad.” Jack frowned and tried to pull his finger away from Nathan, but the small boy was holding tight.

“They really should have middle names,” Ianto mused. “We have them and so did Dominic and Rory, I don’t want them to feel like they’re the odd ones out. I picked the first names; it’s your turn now. Any ideas?”

“Actually,” Jack said sheepishly, “I do. Tim did so much for us these last few months. I had Kara bring me his personnel file earlier. His father was a doctor, too. His name was Christopher. He died when Tim was thirteen while he was on a tour with Médecins Sans Frontières. It’s why Tim became a doctor. What do you think of Nathan Christopher Harkness-Jones?”

“I think it’s perfect,” Ianto told Jack, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “You really are a soppy git, you know that?”

“Do not let it get around,” Jack told him. “I know secrets about you too, remember,” he warned.

“Don’t remind me,” Ianto grimaced. “So what about our little miracle here? He needs a middle name as well.”

“He does,” Jack said, ducking his head, blushing lightly. “Feel free to tell me to get stuffed, because I know this is asking a lot, all things considered. But he’s alive because the Doctor came when we needed help – even if it was Gwyn who called him – and stayed; even though certain people around here made it very clear he wasn’t welcome. Without everything that he did, we wouldn’t have Landon.”

“I know,” Ianto replied softly. “I can’t pretend all is forgiven – he’s done and said too many things in the past - but he’s gone a long way towards changing how I feel about him. Still, I’m not sure I want our son carrying the middle name John; it just doesn’t fit somehow.” He didn’t add that it reminded him of John Hart – even if that wasn’t his real name.

“I was actually thinking of Jensen,” Jack told him. “It’s a male version of Jenny. It would be for both the Doctor and for Felix. After all that he’s done for us, I never want Felix to doubt his place in this family. In a way, it’s for Rory, too.”

“Landon Jensen Harkness-Jones,” Ianto whispered, staring at their son with adoration. “I think it’s brilliant.”

“Tim can do up the birth certificates in the morning,” Jack told him, urging him down on the bed so they could both get some rest before one or the other of the boys woke up and needed to be fed. “Kara can file the official documents.”

Ianto’s eyes, which had been drifting closed, sprang open and he glared at Jack. “Like hell she is,” he snarled. “That child is not touching our sons’ birth certificates. I don’t even want to think about the mess she could make. I’ll do it,” he decided, his voice starting to slur from exhaustion.

Jack laughed as he kissed the top of Ianto’s head. “Go to sleep. Our sons will be hungry soon. We’ll worry about the rest in the morning.”

 

~

TBC


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

It was ten o’clock in the morning when Jack and Ianto finally managed to convince themselves to leave their rooms and introduce their sons to the Torchwood Cardiff team. They had dressed them in identical new-born baby-grows that Petra had bought them; despite the tech’s threat to give all her presents to Ianto.

“Are you sure they’re ready for this?” Jack asked, worrying his lower lip with his teeth as he shifted Landon’s carrier in his hand.

Ianto rolled his eyes and nodded his head. “Dominic met two team members immediately and the rest a little while later. No one really had time to dwell on Rory’s birth because of the Rift. We’ve had these beautiful boys to ourselves for long enough; it’s time to introduce them to the people that helped bring them into the world.”

Jack smiled and linked his fingers with Ianto’s, squeezing his hand gently as they made their way into the main Hub. 

Kara, Petra and Tim were waiting for them with Cali, Gwyn and the Doctor, all of whom had eagerness written over their faces; although Ianto knew Petra would deny it completely if pressed. Tim, the Doctor, and their family had all held the boys, albeit briefly, but Petra and Kara had not even seen them outside of their incubators.

“They’re wearing their outfits,” Kara gushed, barely stopping herself from rushing forward and sweeping the boys into her arms.

“Well, they’re not going to bring them out wearing their nappies, are they?” Petra scoffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, even though her eyes were alight with wonder. 

Jack and Ianto exchanged smiles and headed over to the centre of the Hub. “How are they doing?” Tim asked, concern etched on his face as he glanced down at the babies in their carriers.

Ianto placed Nathan’s carrier on a nearby desk and gently unfastened the straps. He loved these things; he’d picked them out himself while virtual baby shopping. They were completely safe – the best on the market, of course – yet still light weight and easy to use. They certainly made moving two babies about easier, even for one person.

“They seem okay,” he assured the medic, carefully picking his son up and holding him against his chest. “Keeping us up most of the night and needing to be fed immediately. Typical babies,” he finished, smiling at the baby he held. With a glance at Jack, who nodded, he slipped the small boy into Kara’s waiting arms. 

“Oh, hello, little one,” the young woman cooed. “I’ve been wanting to meet you and your little brother over there.”

“Actually, this guy here is the big brother, even if he is smaller,” Jack explained as he took Landon out of his carrier and cradled him. He smiled encouragingly at Petra, who came forward and gently took the small boy in her arms.

“Hello, angel,” the tech whispered. “You have the strength of a thousand men; never let anyone tell you differently.”

“So do my uncles have names yet?” Cali asked pointedly. “Because Dad, Gwyn, and I have decided that we’re going to claim family prerogative and name them ourselves if their fathers can’t be arsed.”

Kara scowled at the female Time Lord and warned quietly, “Watch your language in front of the babies!” She covered the baby’s ears with her hand, making them all chuckle softly.

Tim rolled his eyes and leant towards Felix, stage whispering, “That’s going to last about five minutes. They’ll know more swearwords than we do soon.”

“It’ll take less time than that,” Felix sighed, remembering the past with fondness. “Gwyn’s first word was ‘fuck’. I blamed Rory. Rory blamed Nick. Jack blamed Ianto. Ianto blamed Jack. In the end we figured out that Cali, here, was actually the one that taught it to him; she was about six at the time.”

“A little less of the childhood stories please,” Cali ordered, a light blush colouring her cheeks, before she turned back to glare at her grandparents. “Names, or Gwyn gets to do it,” she threatened, pointing at her younger brother.

Gwyn nodded his head. “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m leaning towards Milton and Dante,” the younger Time Lord warned with a serious expression on his face.

“Oh like h-e-l-l,” Jack replied, earning incredulous stares from the entire team. “What?” he cried defensively.

“He’s decided to spell things,” Ianto explained through gritted teeth. “Including s-e-x. Which, I’ve explained, we’re not having – ever again – if he keeps spelling it.”

“Yeah, that will last about ten minutes,” Petra noted with a laugh. “And if you last that long it will only be because you have two new-borns in the house.”

The Doctor was watching the exchange in utter befuddlement. “Fascinating,” he said. “How do you all get anything done?”

“Slowly, inefficiently, and wrong,” Ianto replied with an eye roll, and then looked at his sons. “Except this time you all really did help get something very, very right.” He nudged his partner, who just kept staring at their sons. 

“What?” Jack replied, looking up with a dopey grin on his face. “They’re more than right; they’re perfect.”

“Do. They. Have. Names?” Cali repeated slowly, making sure she enunciated every single syllable. “I will name them. You know I will, and you know they’ll be embarrassing.”

“Okay,” Jack sighed dramatically even as he smiled at his granddaughter. “This little one that Kara is holding is Nathan Christopher Harkness-Jones. We picked Nathan because it means ‘he gives,’ and his first act in this world was to give his brother life.” He stopped and looked at their medic. “Christopher is to thank Tim for everything he did.”

The medic blinked then moved to take the small boy from Kara. Cradling him gently, he looked at Jack and Ianto with tears in his eyes. Swallowing, he whispered, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you works well,” Ianto suggested pointedly, earning himself a glare from Jack.

“Thank you,” Tim replied sincerely. “Christopher was my father’s name,” he explained to the rest of the team at their confused looks. “He was a doctor. He died in service in Africa when I was thirteen. It’s why I went into medicine.”

Cali came and stood next to the medic. Neither Jack nor Ianto missed how she placed a hand on the back of Tim’s neck to comfort him before resting her other hand on her uncle’s stomach. She looked at her grandfathers with a smile. “I think it’s a perfect name,” she murmured.

Felix had moved to take the older twin from Petra when he started to fuss. “So does this little one have a name?” he asked. “Cause Gwyn has been pushing Milton and I see all sorts of issues at school.”

“I’m already planning to stockpile Retcon,” Ianto assured him. “But yes, he has a name. We picked Landon Jensen Harkness-Jones. Landon means ‘long hill.’ He had a hard road to get here, but we want him to know that and to know he can do anything.” He paused for a minute then looked at the Doctor, Felix, Cali, and Gwyn. “All of you did everything humanly - and Time Lordly - possible to bring him into the world safely. We wanted to pick a name that had meaning for all of you. Jensen is a Welsh version of Jenny.”

Felix gasped and glanced at the Doctor, who whispered, “Jenny.” The elder Time Lord moved closer to his grandson and touched the baby he held reverently, before looking at Jack and Ianto and smiling. “Thank you.”

Felix looked at Tim, Petra, and Kara. “Jenny was the Doctor’s daughter – my mother and Cali and Gwyn’s grandmother.” He flashed his fathers–in-law a watery smile. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I think that’s the other way around,” Jack told him. “We owe you – all of you – so much.”

“We have our thank you right here, Captain,” the Doctor indicated the babies that were now being passed to Cali and Gwyn.

“I’d agree,” Tim added. “Welcome to Torchwood, Landon and Nathan Harkness-Jones.”

Above them, Myfanwy screeched her own greeting, making them all to chuckle. 

~

TBC


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The following day, Jack, Ianto, and the Doctor were meeting in the office. Kara was taking her first turn at babysitting, though the others were nearby in case she needed help. The men had met with her earlier in the day. They knew the Doctor needed to be on his way soon, and they wanted to settle some things.

“We talked to Kara about travelling with you,” Jack told the Time Lord. “She seems excited and pleased that you might be able to help her. She’s always known something was wrong; she just never understood what.”

“I had a chance to examine that body,” the Doctor noted. “It was a Vinkrar. I’m pretty sure I’m right. I’d also like to take him home. The Vinkrar have specific burial rites; it’s only fair we do that if I’m going to ask them for help.”

“Of course,” Jack agreed, and then glanced at Ianto; silently urging him to speak.

“We have one other condition, Doctor,” the assassin told him. “Kara is our responsibility; not yours. We can only let her go if another member of the team goes as well. We thought we’d ask Felix or Cali to accompany you.”

“That’s not necessary,” the Doctor said, a gleeful smile spreading across his face. “I’ve already asked Gwyn if he fancied a trip and he seemed more than happy about the idea. We’re going to have such fun,” the Time Lord blathered, oblivious to the look of astonishment from Jack and the murderous glare from Ianto, whose hand was twitching toward his gun.

~

To say Jack and Ianto weren’t happy about Gwyn leaving for his first trip with the Doctor was an understatement; they were furious with the Doctor for even offering to take their eldest grandson away from them.

“No, Doctor,” Jack snapped for the tenth time, “I don’t care what you say; you’re not taking him with you.”

The Doctor sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “Look, Jack…”

“No!” Jack shouted again. “I feel bad enough that I’m letting you take Kara with you – Owen would be turning over in his grave if he had one – you’re not taking Gwyn as well.”

“He’s a grown man, Jack,” the Doctor murmured softly, not wanting to upset the Captain any more than he already was. “Felix didn’t react this negatively.”

Jack turned and glared at the eldest Time Lord. “That’s because Felix hasn’t travelled with you. I have; I got killed when I was with you, remember? You’re not taking Gwyn and that’s final. End of discussion.”

The Doctor frowned deeply. “Is that why you won’t let him go with me?” he whispered, moving closer to Jack and placing a hand on the Captain’s arm. “Because you’re afraid I’m going to get him killed?”

Jack closed his eyes, fighting down fearful tears. “He and Cali are the last two links I – we – have to Rory, Doctor,” he murmured, not opening his eyes. “Please,” he croaked, finally looking over at the other man, “why can’t you understand that?”

“I do understand, Jack,” the Doctor assured him quietly. “But he doesn’t fit in here in Torchwood; you know that. He never has. He’s an academic. The only time he didn’t have his nose buried in a book when he was younger was to argue with Cali.”

Jack chuckled and nodded his head. “And even then he’d hit her with the book before carrying on reading.”

The Doctor laughed and they fell silent for a moment before the Time Lord added, “I would never endanger him intentionally, Jack,” he stated. “I know that he and Cali are your only links to Rory. They’re my own flesh and blood, nothing is more important to me than family. Not even the fate of the Universe.”

“Don’t say that,” Jack scolded with a shake of his head. “The Universe will always need you to save it.”

“No,” the Doctor argued, “the Universe will always need a Time Lord to save it. When the time comes it’ll have Cali and Felix to come to the rescue – and possibly Gwyn. That won’t happen unless he finds himself. He’s been searching for years, but hasn’t found his purpose yet. Maybe, whatever he’s looking for is out there somewhere.”

Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Where will…” He closed his eyes, not believing he was even asking the question that was on the tip of his tongue. “Where are you planning on taking him?”

Inwardly the Doctor smiled, knowing that he had won Jack’s permission to take Gwyn with him. “I was thinking the Library would be a good place to start,” he confessed.

Jack’s eyes widened and he stared at the Doctor. “The Library?” he echoed. “The Library? Wow,” he whistled, “I always wanted to go there when I was a kid.”

The Doctor chuckled. “I would have thought the Agency would have sent you when they snatched you up.” He nodded to Vortex Manipulator on Jack’s wrist to confirm which Agency he was talking about.

“The others went to do their studying there,” Jack nodded, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. “But I was never allowed.”

“You were never allowed?” the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow and studying the Captain intently. “Why? What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Jack cried indignantly. At the Doctor’s incredulous look, he added, “No, seriously. When I was studying, I never broke any of the rules. But the Commander still forbade me to go on the trips with my friends.”

“Who’s the Commander?” the Doctor asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you for years, but I’ve never managed to get the time. I’ve always wondered about him.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “No one knows,” he replied. “I was with the Agency for over ten years and I never saw him once. I don’t remember meeting anyone who ever had; although, there was a rumour floating around that he was seven feet tall and had blue tentacles, but I think that was exaggeration.”

“Ah, don’t be too quick to brush that off,” the Doctor scolded him. “There are some species like that out there,” he chuckled.

Jack laughed as well, and for a moment they just enjoyed each other’s company. As the laugher died down, they slowly became sombre and Jack studied the elder Time Lord’s face. “You’ll keep him safe, won’t you?” he whispered, fear for his grandchild creeping into his voice.

The Doctor smiled tightly and placed a hand on the Captain’s shoulder. “I swear; I will protect him to the best of my ability, Jack,” he promised.

Jack reached up and placed a hand over the Doctor’s squeezing gently. “That’s all I can ask for,” he whispered. “Gwyn has been taught to protect himself – by Ianto, no less – he’s just never had to put his skills to the test.”

“I will do all I can to make sure he doesn’t have to test himself,” the Doctor swore. “You know,” he added, his tone casual, “it’s strange how you taught Ianto to be a good shot, yet he’s actually a better shot than you are now.”

Jack scowled and folded his arms across his chest, a pout threatening to form on his face. “Tell me about it!” he cried. “He thinks it’s hilarious that the high scores on the shooting games at the cinema are all him. We went on a team night out once and Petra beat one of his scores – the third one I think. I thought we were going to have to sedate him; he got so wound up.”

The Doctor laughed and Jack grinned as well. “It got so bad that management had to come over to see what was wrong. It turned out the machine was broken and one shot took everyone on the screen out, regardless of where you were pointing. I’ve never seen Ianto so relieved. To this day, no one has actually beaten him.”

TBC


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Gwyn silently watched Ianto move around the nursery, picking up various things that were scattered on the floor. When one of the twins – he couldn’t tell which one from across the room – began to fuss, he pushed himself away from the door and entered the room, crossing to the crib. “I’ve got him,” he assured his grandfather as he leant over the crib.

It turned out to be Landon that was crying, and he carefully picked the tiny baby up and held him against his chest, instinctively cradling him so his head and neck were supported. “Hey, Donnie,” he whispered, running his index finger down his uncle’s cheek. “Why are you crying?” he whispered, smoothing the baby’s shock of dark hair down.

He looked up when he realised he could feel someone’s eyes on him. Ianto was watching him with a smile on his face. “What?” he asked, shifting Landon a little in his arms.

“Donnie?” Ianto chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

Gwyn grinned and shrugged a little, rocking Landon to soothe his crying. “He just looks like a Donnie,” he confessed.

“I don’t know,” Ianto murmured, crossing the room and standing beside his grandson. “Your Granddad seems to think he looks like a ‘Lan’,” he added. “You’re a natural with kids, you know?” the assassin asked, looking into Gwyn’s eyes.

“No, I’m not,” Gwyn scoffed. “If I had a kid, I’d ruin its life completely. I’m not cut out to be a parent.”

Ianto sighed and carefully took a now sleeping Landon from his grandson and placed him back in his cot, before turning back to Gwyn and punching him in the arm.

“What was that for?” Gwyn cried, rubbing his arm and glaring at Ianto.

“For being dumb,” Ianto replied with a roll of his eyes. “You couldn’t ruin anyone’s life if you tried,” he added.

Gwyn raised an eyebrow and Ianto sighed deeply. “Come here,” he instructed, grabbing the young Time Lord’s hand and pulling him over to the couch a few feet away. “Do you know who you remind me of?” he asked, sitting down next to Gwyn.

He shook his head and Ianto smiled. “Me,” he replied simply.

Gwyn’s eyes widened and he stared at Ianto in disbelief. “You?” he asked incredulously. “That’s not possible. I’m nothing like you; you’re confident and self-reliant. I’m neither of those things; I never have been.”

Ianto sighed and leant back, pulling Gwyn into his arms. “I may be those things now,” he whispered against Gwyn’s dark hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “But I had to learn how to be them. Do you think I was born like this?” he scoffed and shook his head. “I wish you could meet your great-granddad – my dad, I mean. He’d tell you the same thing; you’re exactly the same as me before I joined the Time Agency.”

“Maybe I could?” Gwyn suggested. “Visit him, I mean. The Doctor has a TARDIS. I could get him to take me.”

Ianto shook his head, a regretful expression on his face. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. It might mess with time lines,” he said softly.

Gwyn scowled and pulled himself away from Ianto. “See? This is what I mean!” he cried, stalking over to the window and looking down on the street below. “I’m a Time Lord, Grandpa. I should know things like that, but I don’t.” 

“Just because you’re a Time Lord doesn’t mean you know everything,” Ianto informed him, getting to his feet and crossing the room also. “Despite how the Doctor acts, he doesn’t know everything. Don’t forget you’re half human as well,” he reminded him gently.

“I haven’t forgotten!” Gwyn exclaimed, a little louder than he meant to. He winced as he waited for one of the babies to stir. When they didn’t, he continued a little quieter, “I could never forget that!” he stated.

Ianto pulled his grandson into his arms. “My point is; you’re not a full Time Lord, Gwyn. Not knowing everything is par for the course in humans. When you start to think you do know everything, then it’s time to worry. Look at your Granddad,” he added with a scowl.

“You’re always telling him that you know everything,” Gwyn countered.

“That’s different,” Ianto retorted with a shrug of his shoulders. “That’s just to piss him off.”

~

TBC


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

“I was thinking,” Jack began one night as he and Ianto lay in bed. The twins had been put to bed and were sleeping soundly for the time being; although, neither immortal was under any illusion the peace would last long.

“Uh oh,” Ianto murmured, rolling onto his side and leaning up on one elbow, resting his head against his hand. “That’s never a good sign. Did it hurt?” he asked, smirking at the Captain. “You haven’t broken anything, have you?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Cheeky bastard,” he quipped with a grin.

Ianto chuckled and reached out, running his hand down Jack’s arm. “Go on, then, genius,” he instructed, “what’s your brilliant idea?”

Jack bit his lip lightly, worrying it with his teeth before answering softly, “We should make Gwyn the twins’ godfather.”

Ianto frowned, thinking Jack’s suggestion over in his mind. “Godfather to his uncles? Let’s hope they never have to do a family tree for school.” He winced at the thought. “Explaining this circus would need a truck load of Retcon.” He chuckled lightly and studied Jack, “What made you think of that?” he asked softly, brushing Jack’s soft hair away from his forehead.

“I…” Jack hesitated and closed his eyes. “I just want to make sure he has an incentive to come home,” he confessed. “I know what it’s like out there, Ianto. We just get the shit; there’s so much more to see out there. I know how tempting those sights can be; the temptation to stay will be so strong, and I just… I can’t lose him, Ianto,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes.

“Oh, Will,” Ianto murmured, pulling the older immortal into his arms. “That’s not going to happen to Gwyn.”

“How do you know?” Jack snapped. “You can’t say for certain. He’s going to get out there and realise what he’s been missing his entire life, and we’ll never see him again.”

Ianto pressed a kiss to Jack’s forehead, wiping his tears away. “We will see him,” he argued. “His family means too much to Gwyn. Look at what happened when I passed out. The first person he went to was his papa. It’s been over a hundred years since Rory passed, and he hasn’t forgotten him. He’s not going to forget us, or these babies.”

Jack nodded numbly; he clutched Ianto’s top as he breathed in the assassin’s scent. “Can we still ask him, just in case?” he asked, lifting his head and looking at Ianto with wide, hopeful eyes.

Ianto smiled and leant closer, pressing a soft kiss against his partner’s lips. “Of course we can,” he assured the Captain, before making his own suggestion. “What about Kara as godmother?”

“Kara?” Jack looked surprised. “I thought you’d want Petra,” he confessed.

Ianto shook his head. “We know how loving and loyal Kara is. She already adores the boys, and she was there every minute of the pregnancy for both of us, but its more than that. We never looked for an alien cause for her problem. Maybe if we had…”

“Don’t do this out of guilt,” Jack warned. “Our sons and Kara deserve better.”

“I’m not,” Ianto assured him. “But, if the Doctor’s right a whole new world will open up to her – not just what’s out there, but even if she comes home. I want to give her a reason to stay with us, just like you want to give Gwyn. It may be a shameless ploy, but fuck it. I want them both back sooner rather than later and the boys will be blessed to have them.”

“Gwyn and Kara it is then,” Jack said with a smile. “Cali is going to think we’ve both gone mental.”

“She’s shagging Tim,” Ianto retorted with a glare. “She does not get to comment on life choices at the moment.”

“It’s more than shagging and you know it,” Jack admonished him, hitting him lightly on the arm.

Groaning, Ianto shook his head. “Please do not make me think about that when I don’t have a gun in hand and something to put holes in.”

Jack laughed and embraced his partner, knowing he really did wish their granddaughter and medic the best, even if he was fighting the impulse with all he had. “Tim’s not that bad,” he told the assassin.

“Yeah,” Ianto responded with a grimace, stiffening in Jack’s arms. “He’s just not good for Cali.”

“No one will ever be good enough for our Princess,” Jack stated. “But she’s all grown up. We might hate it, but we’ve got to let he make her own decisions.”

“This is a bad one, Will,” Ianto said resignedly. “You know it.”

Jack realised the assassin was serious and not just being an over protective grandparent. He lifted his head and stared at his partner incredulously. “I trusted Tim with your life and Landon’s, not to mention mine and Nathan’s. I trust him with Cali’s, too.” 

“It’s not her life that worries me,” Ianto growled. “He’ll break her heart.”

“Why would you say something like that?” Jack demanded. “You’ve seen how he looks at her. In the five years she was gone, did you ever see him look at anyone else that way?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Ianto shouted. “He’s Torchwood.”

“So are we! So is Cali!” Jack reminded him.

“He’s mortal,” Ianto sighed. “They all die young. She already lost Rory to death by Torchwood. I just don’t want her to lose the man she loves, too.”

Jack sighed and pulled the assassin into his arms, knowing how much the younger immortal was hurting. “She’s always going to have to face that,” he reminded him, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “Do you think Felix would give up a day with Rory – or having Cali and Gwyn – even knowing how it turned out? Would you miss having him or Nick?”

“You know I wouldn’t!” Ianto spat, not meeting Jack’s eyes, because there had been a point before Nathan and Landon where he hadn’t been sure of that. “I just know how much it hurts.”

“Cali is a Harkness-Jones,” Jack told him. “Last name or no. She’s strong. Like us, she loves because the alternative isn’t life – it’s running from life like the Doctor did for so long. She ran five years ago but she’s realised that you really can’t run forever. If she has to take after a side of the family in this respect, I’d rather she take after us and love as well as she can for as long as she can.”

Ianto sighed, knowing his partner was right. “He’s not calling me Grandpa,” the assassin muttered. “I will shoot him. I’m not kidding,” he stated when Jack laughed.

“Oh, I know,” the Captain chuckled, leaning over and pressing a kiss against Ianto’s forehead. “Don’t think I don’t realise I am no longer safe from therapeutic murder.”

“Don’t forget it either,” Ianto told him. “I may need to shoot someone when I’m forced to give Tim and Cali my blessing. You’re the only one besides myself who’ll bounce back. And it’s no fun if I shoot myself.”

~

TBC


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Gwyn bit his lip and nervously twisted the silver ring on his middle finger as he waited for Ianto to return with coffee for them all. Gwyn wasn’t thirsty, but Jack had begged the assassin for his first cup since he had discovered he was pregnant with Nathan.

Neither of them had spoken since Ianto had disappeared and, for the first time in his long life, Gwyn actually felt uncomfortable in the presence of his granddad.

After what felt like an eternity, Ianto returned with three cups of steaming coffee. Jack was the first to take his, and sighed in ecstasy as he practically inhaled the beverage.

“After eight months, you should have kicked your caffeine addiction,” Ianto observed, taking a smaller, less dramatic, sip of his own. 

“Look,” Gwyn said, putting his own cup down without taking a drink. “We all know what you’re going to say, so why don’t you just tell me no and we can get back to work?”

Jack and Ianto exchanged looks, before smiling at each other. Ianto nodded and Jack replied, “We’re not saying no, Gwyn.”

The Time Lord stared at them in surprise. “But I thought… With you dragging me in here…”

“The Doctor is a member of your family as well, Gwyn,” Ianto murmured, smiling at his grandson. 

“Besides, it would be hypocritical of us to not let you go,” Jack added. “We’ve travelled with him; it’s only fair to let you have your chance.”

“But,” Ianto interjected, “we have one condition.”

Gwyn sighed and slumped back in the chair. “I knew it,” he muttered. “I knew there’d be a ‘but’. There’s always a ‘but’. Fine, go on, tell me what your condition is, and how unlikely I am to meet it. Family screw up here, remember?” He pointed to himself to emphasise his point.

Jack glared at him and considered arguing with the young man, but decided against it; if the Doctor’s plan worked, he would find himself soon and realise he wasn’t as much of a screw-up as he thought. “Our condition isn’t a test, Gwyn,” he finally said. “You simply have to do something for us.”

Gwyn raised an eyebrow and Ianto explained, “We want you to be the twins’ godfather.”

The young man blinked in surprise and ran his hand through his hair. “Run that by me one more time?” he requested, thinking he had to have been hearing things. 

“You are a major reason they are here, happy, and healthy. We realise we’ve never actually thanked you for everything you’ve done,” Jack told him. 

“You don’t have to thank me,” Gwyn muttered, a blush colouring his cheeks.

“Yes, we do,” Jack argued. “But it’s also more than that. You’re their family and a huge connection to their big brother – your Papa. We want you to be a big part of their lives. Your dad and Cali plan to stay in Cardiff for a while. They’ll be with them every day. You won’t. We want you to have that connection to them and to always have a reason to come home to your family.”

“But why me?” Gwyn demanded. “I don’t know the first thing about being a godfather,” he whispered.

“Do you know how to love them?” Ianto asked in exasperation, trying desperately to not lose his patience.

“Of course I do!” Gwyn shouted. “I already love them.”

“That’s all you need to know,” the assassin told him. “The rest you work out as you go along, just like any other parent or godparent. Your granddad and I included. We didn’t know what we were doing when your Uncle Dominic was born. We still don’t know everything.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jack muttered. “I know exactly what I’m doing as a parent,” he boasted.

“Of course,” Ianto retorted. “Which explains you spending half an hour this morning figuring out which baby was Landon and which was Nathan.”

“They’re twins!” Jack replied in exasperation. “It’s natural to mix up twins.”

“As fraternal as you can get,” Ianto reminded him. “Different wombs!” He turned to Gwyn. “Don’t mix them up and don’t drop them. Everything else is fixable as long as you love them.”

“Then how do you explain Cali?” Gwyn asked with a grin.

“Talk to your Dad,” Ianto told him. “So will you do it?”

“Yeah,” Gwyn said with a grin. “But I am so not explaining the family tree at school. That’s your problem.” 

The young Time Lord just looked confused when Jack and Ianto burst into laughter.

~

It was time for the twins’ mid-afternoon feeding. Jack and Ianto headed to the nursery to find Kara already there with their bottles ready. Landon was in her arms as she expertly fed him. Nathan was cooing contentedly in his cot within easy reach of the young woman.

“You’re really good at this,” Ianto commented, eyes shining at the way Kara had bonded with their sons.

“The classes helped,” Kara said. “Babies are easy. Just feed them, keep them dry, and love them. They understand that. It doesn’t matter to them if you say the right thing at the right time or know where you left something. As long as you love them, it’s all okay.”

“Of course it is,” Jack said gently. “They already love you, too.” He sat next to Kara and watched Ianto take Nathan from his cot to give him his bottle. “We’ll miss your help when you’re gone.”

“I was thinking about that,” Kara said, worrying her lip in her teeth. “The Doctor has to bring Gwyn back at some point. I should wait until they’re older. I promised to help with them.”

Jack and Ianto exchanged looks. “Kara,” the Captain said. “Don’t you want the Doctor to help you?”

“Yes,” she replied vehemently, “but they’re so little. They won’t even know me when I get back.”

“Of course they will,” Jack assured her. “We’ll tell them all about you. We’ve been thinking. We want you to do something for us before you go.”

“Anything,” Kara replied genuinely as she looked at the small boy in her arms. “Anything at all.”

‘We want you to be their godmother,” Ianto said gently. “Gwyn’s already agreed to be their godfather.”

“I…” Kara stammered. “Why me? Petra or even Cali would be much better for them. They can protect them and teach them. I can’t,” she whispered.

“Of course you can,” Jack told her. “You may not be able to fire a gun as well as Petra or Cali, but don’t tell me or Ianto you wouldn’t do anything to protect these babies.”

“Of course I would!” Kara exclaimed.

“And when you get back from travelling with the Doctor, you’ll have so much to teach them,” Ianto told her. “Even if you don’t decide to stay with Torchwood, they’ll still learn so much with you.”

“Why wouldn’t I stay with Torchwood?” Kara gasped. “Unless… the Doctor says he thinks what’s in my brain is an alien. If you don’t want me to come back because I have an alien in me…”

“Of course we want you to come back,” Ianto told her. “It’s just if the Doctor can help you, a whole new world is going to open up to you, and not just because of what he can show you out there. You might not want to stay, and that’s okay. You’ll still be family because you’ll be Nathan and Landon’s godmother, if you want.”

“Of course I want,” Kara replied. “But I’m coming back. This is my home, silly.” She returned her attention to feeding the little boy she held.

Jack tried not to smirk at Ianto’s gobsmacked face. Kara was about the only person who could get away with calling the assassin ‘silly’ and live.

 

~

TBC


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The twins were two weeks old when the Doctor decided it was time for him to leave. The night before, the Time Lord, Tim, and Petra manned the Rift and babysat while Jack, Ianto, Felix, and Cali took Kara and Gwyn out for a family good-bye dinner. 

All of them – except Felix - had travelled with the Doctor before, and cautioned Gwyn and Kara about certain things, but most of the evening was spent detailing the wonders they had seen.

Early the following morning, the Hub was bustling with activity. The Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS rocking on his heels, impatiently waiting for goodbyes to be said so they could be on their way. 

“Don’t be like that,” Jack called out to his old friend. “Come say goodbye to Landon and Nathan. You have to promise them to get Gwyn and Kara back to us before they have kids of their own.”

“Of course I will!” the Doctor exclaimed indignantly.

“Because that worked so well with Rory,” Ianto sighed. “He was here when Rory was born,” the assassin explained to Tim, Kara, and Petra. “The next time he saw us, Rory was pregnant – with Gwyn.”

“Yes, well no one saw fit to tell me I had family running about Cardiff,” the Time Lord reminded them, glaring at Jack, Ianto and Felix in turn.

“Will you two stop it?” Cali sighed. She turned in her seat and pierced her great-grandfather with a glare. “I expect my brother and Kara back in one piece; and it has to be before the twins can talk! Otherwise, don’t think I won’t test regeneration theories out on you.”

“She will have help,” Petra added, her blue eyes icy and menacing.

“Yes. Yes. I get the point,” the Doctor assured them. He hugged Cali and Jack and then shook hands with Ianto before turning to his grandson. “Last chance, Felix. Just a little trip?”

“I don’t think so,” Felix said. “I think I’m going to stay right here and spend some time with my daughter and my new brothers-in-law. Someone has to be the voice of sanity around here.” He glared at Cali when she snorted with laughter. “Besides, you’re taking part of the team away and there are two babies to take care of. Jack and Ianto need some help around here.”

“Okay then,” the Doctor sighed. He looked at Kara and Gwyn. “I’ll let you say your goodbyes. The TARDIS and I will be waiting. Don’t be long.” He bounded off, seeming a little relieved to leave all the domesticity behind.

Tim and Petra hugged Gwyn and Kara, telling them to be careful before making themselves scarce to give the Harkness-Jones and Ryman family a chance to say goodbye. Jack and Ianto gently eased the boys from their carriers, letting Gwyn and Kara hold one then the other. They smiled as Kara inhaled their scents as if to memorise everything about them.

“Don’t you dare forget me,” she told the babies as she handed them back to Jack and Ianto. 

The immortals both hugged her tightly. “Be safe,” Ianto told her. “This is always your home and we are always your family.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Kara promised. “And I’ll be fixed. You won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“Oh, Kara,” Jack bit back a sob. “We’ll always worry about you. You’re family.”

After saying goodbye to the babies and his grandparents, Gwyn turned to his father and sister. “You’ll tell Papa I’ll be back to see him soon?” he asked Cali, giving her a watery smile.

“Of course I will, you idiot,” she told him, and then reached out to touch the ring on his hand. “Doesn’t matter though; he’s going with you just like he went with me.” 

The ring had been given to her when she’d turned eighteen and, after Gwyn’s visit to the cemetery to see Rory, she had loaned it to her brother in an attempt to help him remember what little time he’d had with their papa.

“Try not to scare Tim off this time,” Gwyn warned his sister, hugging her tightly. 

“Hey, I ran last time!” Cali defended Tim.

“True,” Gwyn conceded. “Then maybe you need to stop being a scaredy cat and admit your feelings,” he taunted.

“Do you two ever stop?” Felix sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“No,” his children told him in unison.

“Your life would be boring if we did,” Cali reminded him with an angelic smile; a smile that hadn’t worked on Felix since she had been a kid.

“I should get going before Kara drowns the babies in tears or Great-grandfather leaves without us,” Gwyn said, hugging his sister again and then his father. “Take care of Granddad and Grandpa. Try to keep them out of trouble for my godsons’ sake.”

“We will,” Felix assured him, a catch in his voice. “Come home soon.”

The Rymans were joined by Jack, Ianto, and the babies as Gwyn and Kara vanished into the Police Box and they watched it disappear.

“So,” Jack said after several minutes of silence, “are you two planning on staying for a while?”

“Yeah,” Felix told him. “I think Torchwood needs us, and we need Torchwood. This family has been wandering a bit too long. We have two little guys there that have a lot of history to learn; who else can teach it to them better than us?”

“Besides,” Cali piped up with a grin. “I have a house to decorate,” she added, making Felix wince; he hadn’t wanted to be present when she told them about her plans.

“A house?” Ianto looked confused. “You mean your house?” he asked Felix, who nodded. “I thought you’d be living there.”

“I’m going to move back into the apartment by the bay,” he told them. “I’ll take the night watches while the babies are young. You’ll have your hands full as it is. You’ll still need a nanny with Kara gone, but you can have time with them at night.”

“That house is awfully big for one person, Princess,” Jack cautioned. “We have room. You’re welcome to stay with us.”

“Thanks, Granddad,” Cali replied with a smirk, “but I won’t be living there alone. That reminds me, I need to make sure to give Tim his key.” She flounced off without even looking back.

“His key?” Ianto sputtered. “Did she just imply…?”

“No,” Jack told him. “I’m pretty sure there was no implication involved.” He placed his hand over Ianto’s when it reached for his gun, “No,” he whispered with a shake of his head.

Ianto glared at him for a long moment. Then, seeing that Jack wasn’t going to relent, he sighed and his shoulders slumped. “It is so not fair that I can’t shoot him,” he whined, picking up the baby carriers and heading to the nursery. Looking down, he muttered, “You two are not allowed to grow up, fall in love, and make me crazy. Just stay little for a long time,” he begged.

Watching the assassin with his sons, Jack and Felix laughed. Ianto would die or kill before he’d admit it, but Jack knew he was a soppy bastard when it came to family. There was nothing he wouldn’t protect them from: even if it was Jack and Ianto they needed protecting against.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has had some AMAZING artwork created by celedansuniverse. Check it out, [here](http://celedansuniverse.deviantart.com/art/The-Watertower-646954794).


End file.
